Different
by PlainJane2311
Summary: Bella's parents divorce. Bella moves to Phoenix away from her best friends, Alice and Edward. Now it's 4 years later. What will happen when Bella moves back to Forks and things get strange? Please R&R! NOT All Human!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

I secretly unpacked _another_ piece of clothing from my suitcase, and tossed it onto the pile of clothing beside my bed. Over the course of a half an hour, the clothing pile had grown rather large. I didn't recognise half of what was in the pile, thanks to my slightly eccentric mother, Renee; _another_ one of her phases. For the past two weeks, or so, she had driven everyday to the Port Angeles Mall to hunt for clothes.

My wardrobe had now tripled, thanks to Renee and her shopaholic ways. Hers, well, let's just say that the garage had gone from a workshop to a closet. She had gotten so much stuff for her and me, but nothing for Charlie, my dad.

That should have been my first clue.

"Okay then. Your suitcase should be filled to the brim by now," Renee said, before turning around to admire her work. Her face seemed to glow with anticipation until she laid her eyes on my half-empty suitcase. Her face fell and she turned to look at me, "Bella," she sighed, sadness thick in her voice, "Why don't you want to leave? You're going to love Phoenix! It's so much more different than Forks, honey. It's extremely sunny, not many clouds, warm-" her face slowly lit up again as she began to babble but I cut her off.

"Why do you _want_ to leave mom?" I asked. Renee's face fell again as she was pulled away from her daydream.

"Bella, we've already discussed this," she explained, putting on her rare, serious parental face.

"But mom, I like Forks!" I said, my voice beginning to shake, "I don't want to move to Phoenix! I don't want to leave my friends!" By now I was shouting and flapping my arm everywhere.

"You'll adjust. You'll grow to love Phoenix. You'll love your new school. You'll make new friends," Renee said in a stern voice.

"But mom-" but Renee cut off my protesting.

"Isabella Marie Swan! We are moving to Phoenix! No buts! End of conversation!" Renee shouted. We were so loud, that I was sure that the neighbours could hear.

I glared at Renee then stalked off. I carefully made my way down the stairs in order to not trip and break yet _another_ bone. I was most likely the _biggest _klutz in the entire world. Successful, I made my way over to the front door. I could hear the 'thump' of a pair of feet making their way down the stairs. I hurried, in hopes of making it to the pale wooden door, before the other set of feet made it to me.

My hand had just grabbed onto the cool metal of the golden coloured doorknob, when a hand firmly grasped my left wrist, causing me to stop in my tracks.

"Bella, where are you going? Bella?" Renee asked me. I could tell from the concerned tone of her voice that she had calmed down. I, on the hand, had not. She was acting as though the conversation in my bedroom had never occurred. I could feel my blood begin to boil and my eyes on the verge of tears, "Bella?" Renee repeated.

I broke.

I could feel my body heat rise as my anger surged through me. My heartbeat increased. The tears that had been threatening to spill did.

"You lied mom. You told me that you loved dad. You told dad that you loved him. You never did. You lied mom," I said in a surprisingly calm tone. My voice was barely a whisper, but I knew that Renee had heard me because she released her grip on my wrist almost instantly.

I didn't turn around to face Renee. I wouldn't be able to stand it. I could picture the hurt on her face. It would be too much.

My right hand was still clutching the doorknob. I took a breath and turned the doorknob until I heard a faint 'click' from within the door. I opened the door with strong force to which the door, in response, protested with a loud 'creak'. I stepped outside into the pouring rain, which was not unusual for Forks.

Without looking back, I slammed the door shut and began to run. Within minutes I was soaked to the bone and freezing. My dark but blouse was clinging to my skin and my jeans were soaking, bit I didn't care. I knew that I would trip a lot because I wasn't being careful, but I didn't care. I knew where I was headed, and I wasn't going to stop until I reached my destination. Renee didn't bother to even try to go after me. That was probably the only thing I wasn't mad at her about. I was mad at her for getting a divorce with Charlie. I was mad at her for lying.

I needed time to breathe, to think. Until then, I wasn't turning back.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello to all of you readers! Thanks SO much for all of your reviews! You guys are what keep me writing. Thanks again! I have to ask you readers something. Should I include some chapters in Edward's POV? Also, should I give names for the chapters? Yes? No? Maybe so? Anyways, ENJOY!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight, the fabulous Stephenie Meyer does! Sigh, I wish I was her. **

**Chapter 2**

I wasn't sure how long I had been running for. My legs were screaming in protest, telling me that it had been a long time, but my adrenaline told me otherwise. I was freezing to the bone; my clothes were soaking wet and dragging me; and me legs and feet felt as though they could explode any second. The only thing that kept me going was my anger. It coursed through my veins, giving me strength to keep moving.

The signs of urban living were slowly thinning, as the thick green forests of Forks took over. The subtle little houses turned into an occasional mansion. The sun was slowly sinking behind the horizon, and the darkness of night was rising.

I knew the route to Alice's house well. I could almost close my eyes and direct someone where to drive. I had, however, never walked, or in this case ran, to her house.

All signs of civilization were gone by now. I was surrounded by trees. Everywhere I looked, green. My head started to spin. Tiredness and soreness were catching up with me. I slowed down a little. I didn't look where I was going. I _couldn't_ look where I was going because the sun had gone below the horizon line. With it, had gone all sources of light.

My foot hit something hard. I tripped. I fell face first on the cold wet dirt road. My head hurt immensely now. I was able to lift myself up and off of the ground. My right leg was throbbing. I lifted my hand to my forehead to inspect the damage. When my hand made contact with my forehead, I felt warm, sticky goo; blood. I removed my hand from my forehead and moved it to my leg. More blood, and lots of it, "That can't be good," I mumbled to myself. Despite the pain shooting from my leg and forehead, I continued, but I walked instead, due to my leg.

I couldn't see five feet ahead of me. It was pitch black. I was lost. I was scared.

I had been walking for what seemed like a lifetime, but it was actually around ten minutes. Charlie had told me that if I ever got lost in the woods, I was supposed to stay where I was. But I was stubborn. I kept walking until I heard a faint rustle coming from my right. Startled, I stopped dead in my tracks and looked to my right; nothing. Just to be safe, I did a full 360 degree turn; nothing. I shrugged my shoulders and kept walking. Then I heard another rustle; this time coming from my left. Then I heard a low hiss.

It happened so quickly.

Something from the bushes sprung out at me. My eyes widened and my heart felt as though it would jump right out of my chest. My humanly instincts told me to run. But I didn't. I wasn't sure why, but this thing that was about to attack, intrigued me. I could only see the outline of the creature as it leapt into the air.

I was frozen to the ground. My feet would not move. No matter how much I tried. My curiosity got the better of me. I gave a whole new meaning to the phrase; 'curiosity killed the cat'. It instead should be; 'curiosity killed the stupid- little- thirteen-year-old- girl- who- doesn't- know- when- to- listen- to- her- instincts'.

My life began to flash before my eyes. I never knew that that would actually happen when I was about to die, I mean, killed by a mysterious creature.

I saw myself when I was just four years old, burying Charlie at the beach with Renee. I saw myself when I was ten, when I had first met Alice during Lunch at school. I saw myself when I was twelve, being forced to wrestle with Andrew Haden during gym class. Andrew had hurt me, and Edward, Alice's brother, beat him up for doing so. Alice and I had laughed _so_ hard!

This was a good way to go. This way I wouldn't have to suffer through the changes in my life that would have happened. This way, I could only remember the times when I had had a perfect life; when I had laughed, cried for joy; when Charlie and Renee had actually loved each other.

This had all happened in the course of about two minutes. But to me, it had felt like minutes. I was pulled back into reality. Suddenly the fear of what was about to happen sunk in.

I was about to die.

Then my ears were flooded with a high pitched sound. I identified it as a scream. It was coming from my mouth. My voice seemed to fill the entire forest. I clamped my mouth shut. My ears hurt too much from the sound of my own voice.

Suddenly, I felt myself being whooshed out the way by a very strong force. Then my ears were filled with the sound of a gunshot. My heart was pumping extremely hard.

Then my body made contact with the ground.

It hurt a lot. I bumped my head against a tree; hard. The throbbing from before crept its way back into my head. I had to bite my lip to keep myself from screaming in pain. My leg was beginning to throb again too.

A strong yet gentle set of arms swept me up and cradled me. They were very cold and hard, but smooth, like marble.

"You can open your eyes now, Bella," said a voice that flowed melodically followed by a light chuckle.

I hadn't realized until now, that I had closed my eyes when I had seen the mysterious creature. I immediately opened my eyes. I was welcomed by a warm smile coming from the face of a beautiful person. His features looked flawless, even the blackness of night. His face was so pale that he almost looked like a ghost. He had a head full of golden hair. He was very handsome. He was Dr. Carlisle Cullen.

I moved my eyes to meet his. They were a strange golden colour. They looked warm and inviting, like golden liquid. But behind the warm and welcoming presence, there was worry.

"Carlisle, are you okay?" I asked him. He looked at me incredulously then spoke.

"You were almost attacked by an animal, and you're asking me if _I'm_ okay?" He asked me. I nodded my throbbing head, "Bella. The question here is, are _you_ okay?" I considered my answer. I was freezing, my forehead and leg were bleeding, and I was extremely tired. I nodded my head. I didn't want Carlisle o worry about me. His smile turned into a frown, "No you're not Bella. Look at you. You're forehead and right leg is bleeding, you're soaking wet, and you look terrified."

"Well, if you knew I wasn't okay, why did you ask?" I asked. This made Carlisle chuckle. After a few seconds of silence, I spoke up, "Carlisle? Do you know what creature that was that was about to attack me?" I asked. Carlisle's brow furrowed in thought before he spoke.

"I'm not really sure, Bella. It was very dark. You were very lucky though, that I had heard your screaming. I brought my gun with me and came out running as soon as I heard it. I got to you just in time," I nodded my head and mumbled a 'thanks'. Then Carlisle spoke again, "By the way, why did you stop screaming?" He asked.

"My ears hurt." I muttered my answer as my cheeks grew hot with my blush. At my answer, Carlisle burst into laughter. My cheeks grew even redder.

After Carlisle's little laughter fit, we were on their porch in less than a minute. I must have been closer to Alice's house than I thought. I really _was_ lucky.

We made it through the front door and I immediately felt at home. The Cullen's had a very spacious and bright home. I loved it. I wish that could live here with Alice. Speaking of Alice….

"Bella? What are you doing here? It's really late and super dark. Wait. How did you get here? Did you walk here? Are you crazy? It's dangerous out there during the night-" Alice began to babble but I quickly covered her big babbling mouth with my hand. She glared at me with that evil little pixie glare.

"Okay, Alice you may regain control of your mouth as long as you agree to let me talk, okay?" I asked her, raising my eyebrows in a questioning look. She nodded then did a circular motion over her head, indicating that she would cooperate. I removed my hand from her mouth. She continued to glare at me and I just flashed her my innocent little girl smile.

I heard a velvety laugh from behind. I turned around to see Edward's beautiful face.

"You know Bella; I think that you're the first person to shut Alice up; ever!" Edward exclaimed after his laughing fit. Then he looked me over and frowned, "Bella, what happened to you? You're bleeding, a lot," he said just as Carlisle came back into the living room.

"Bella was almost attacked by an animal, Edward. I agree with you Alice, Bella should not have been out there at this time of night. Now if you will excuse me, I have a patient to look after," Carlisle said. Then he led me to his study upstairs and closed the door, "Okay then. Let's see what we have to deal with here," with that, Carlisle examined my forehead and right leg. He then applied some sort of medical goo on my head and leg, then he put a bandage on my head and several on my leg. **(A/N: I have no clue how you treat someone with these type of wounds so please forgive me.)**

Carlisle then realised me to Alice's custody.

Oh boy.

I was immediately being hovered over by Alice. Her eyes were prying into me. She was practically jumping from her lack of patience. I was not able to escape her now, so, I dove into what had happened. Every once in a while, she would gasp and go all wide-eyed. BY the time I was finished my story, she was speechless. That was _the_ rarest thing for Alice to do.

"So, can I sleep over tonight?" I asked. I could feel the heat rising onto my cheeks.

"Of course you can, Bella! Wait. Won't Renee wonder where you are?" She questioned me.

"No. She knows where I am. I always come here when something isn't right. This is my second home. In fact, I've been coming over more often than usual because Renee kept on kicking me out. I should have taken that as a clue. She just didn't want me to be there while she and Charlie fought. Gosh! I am so oblivious!" I yelled to myself.

"Stop beating yourself up, Bella. You didn't know. None of it is your fault," Alice comforted me. It worked. I smiled at her and she gave me a hug. She was an awesome friend, "Now we have to get you into other clothes! You're soaking wet!" She was right. I had completely forgotten about my clothes. Usually, I would object to being Barbie Bella, but tonight it was for a legitimate reason. Alice practically dove into her closet. Her closet was _huge_! Diving was practically the only way to enter it. She came out after a few minutes with some soft, dark blue PJ's. Alice kept these especially for me when I came over. I must say, they were very comfy and they fitted my figure, not that I had a figure.

"Thanks Alice."

"You're welcome. Now get changed! Esme is making ice cream sundaes for us downstairs!"

Yum.

"With strawberry sauce?"

"Yes. Now GET CHANGED!" Honestly, I didn't know why Esme encouraged her. Alice plus sugar, equals bad.

"Why the hurry? Is everyone going to steal ours?" I said sarcastically as I stripped out of my sopping clothes, and into my PJ's.

"No. I just want ice cream. Rose _definitely _wouldn't have any because I think that she is bulimic." I gasped.

"No. Really?" I couldn't believe it. Rosalie? Bulimic? I guess it kind of made sense. I mean, Rose was like super skinny. She was beautiful. She made every girl feel jealous and self-conscious.

"Yeah," Alice leaned in closer and lowered her voice, "After every meal I hear her in the bathroom, throwing up," I gasped again.

"Girls! Do you want your ice cream sundaes?!" Esme shouted from downstairs. Alice and I turned to each other then bolted out of Alice's bedroom and down the stairs.

Esme was in the kitchen setting down three bowls of ice cream sundaes on the island in the middle of the kitchen. And there, sitting on one of the stools, was Edward.

He looked up at me at smiled his beautiful, breath-talking, crooked smile. I couldn't help but quickly look down and blush a deep red. I internally smacked myself. Edward was my friend. My best friend, next to Alice.

A few months ago, I had developed a sort of crush on Edward. I wasn't sure why, but I just had. One day, I was pinching his arm, the next, I had a crush on him.

I haven't told anyone, not even Alice. I'm afraid that if I tell Edward, I would ruin our friendship. I mean, he would _never_ like me back! I'm like his sister. Who wants date their sister?!

I kept my head down as I walked towards the counter. I wasn't sure how, but I lost my footing and began to crash towards the floor. I braced my self for the impact. I was going to have _a lot_ of bruises by tomorrow.

But I never made it to the floor.

A strong, warm arm had caught. I silently prayed that it was anyone _but_ Edward. When I looked up, it was none other than Edward. I somehow was able to blush an even deeper red than before.

"You seem to be falling a lot today," Edward stated humour dancing around in his beautiful emerald green eyes. He then flashed me his famous heart-stopping crooked smile. I couldn't breathe for a second. I seemed to be in a trance. I just starred into his beautiful eyes.

I was pulled away from my trance by Alice. "Are you okay Bella?" she asked me. To my dismay, Edward released his hold on me. I nodded my head to Alice indicating that I was alright.

"Um, yeah. Edward caught me," I mumbled, still blushing. I pulled out the only empty chair left; the one right next to Edward's. _Oh joy!_ I thought sarcastically. _Time for the embarrassing train to came my way._

Edward, Alice and I began to eat our sundaes. Alice was yapping away about some sale that she had found at the mall yesterday. Like _she_ of all people, needed more clothes. I just sat there contemplating what was going to happen after today. Then I heard Edward's velvety voice say….

"So, Bella. Why did you come here at ten o'clock at night?" He asked.

"Well, Edward, I got into a fight with my mom. I got really angry with her and left the house. The first place I thought to go to was your house," I replied. I hoped that he wouldn't ask what the fight was about. Up until today, Renee hadn't told me about the divorce. Nobody but Alice knew.

"What was the fight about; if you don't mind me asking that is?"

Busted.

"My parents are getting a divorce and my mom is forcing me to come with her and move to Phoenix. But I don't want to leave Forks." When I was done answering his question, I looked up to see his response. His held nothing but sorrow.

"Oh Bella, that's terrible. I am _so_ sorry," he replied, pulling me into a gentle hug. At first I was startled, but after a second, I welcomed the warmth that was rolling off of his body. His warmth was mixed in with comfort.

When he pulled away, I saw the reason why I had a crush on him. He was so kind, and such a gentleman, to me. This made me smile.

"Thanks, Edward. I needed that," Esme then cam up behind my chair.

"Is this true Bella? The divorce? You moving? Everything?" She asked with nothing but sorrow in her voice. I nodded my head. She pulled me from the stool, where I was sitting, and into one of her gentle, motherly hugs, "Everything's going to be okay, Bella," she cooed me.

I loved Esme. She was like a second mother to me. She would always comfort me when I was sad. Alice and Edward were lucky to have her as their adoptive mother.

Alice and Edward were both adopted by Carlisle and Esme. Alice never knew her parents, and Edward's parents had died in a car crash when he was two. They were both the same age as me.

They moved here with the rest of the Cullen's three years ago. I instantly befriended them. Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper were all sophomores in Forks High School. Rosalie was gorgeous. Emmett had all of the muscles every gut _wished_ they had, and he was a just a _huge_ teddy bear big brother that you just have to love. Jasper was sweet, a gentleman, but he always looked like he was in pain. I wasn't sure why either. Alice got along best with Jasper.

When Esme was done hugging me, she cleaned up the sundae bowls, "Okay you guys, time for bed. It's really late and I don't need cranky children in the morning," she said, her eyes dancing with humour. Edward, Alice and I all groaned in protest as we climbed up the stairs. I silently thanked Esme though; I was exhausted.

At least I get a whole night to sleep out my frustrations.

**A/N: I hoped that you liked that chapter! I introduced Edward, Alice, Carlisle, and Esme. If you guys didn't catch it, Edward and Alice don't know that their adoptive family is a clan of vampires. Neither does Bella. Edward and Alice are NOT vampires but the rest of the family is. Can you guess who attacked Bella? By the way, the vamps eat the disgusting human food every meal time and throw it up later. That is why Alice thinks that Rosalie is bulimic. I hope to update soon, but my dad, seeing as it is spring break for me, has me cleaning the house. Oh, and remember to…………………… REVIEW!!! The button is right down there so click on it and send a few words to me. Please? I am hoping for at least 10 reviews this time. Thanks!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello again! I am VERY SORRY about taking SO long to update! I have become the thing that I hate, a person who takes forever to update. Anyways, thank you to those who reviewed. Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Chapter 3**

**Edward's POV**

Another boring Saturday night at home. Another night listening to music, and trying to decode my math homework. I was bored.

My family didn't go out that much besides camping, and even then I rarely see them. They say that they like to stay at home. I love to death, but they can be _so_ annoying sometimes.

Of course, Esme and Carlisle were my blood parents, but it feels like they are. I wasn't sure why, but ever since I had been adopted by them, I felt like I was supposed to be here. I know; I'm weird.

Also, I look nothing like any of my family. I had a head full of a bronze coloured, dishevelled hair. The rest of my family, except for Alice, had very pale, almost white, coloured skin. Also, they all had very cold skin. The weird part is that none of them are related, besides Rosalie and Jasper.

The Cullens had adopted me when I was nine. My parents had died in a car crash when I was four. I had lived at the orphanage in Alaska until I was ten. I was transported to the Alaskan orphanage because the one in my hometown was full.

I had also met Alice at the orphanage. We became quick friends. Soon, nobody was able to tear us apart. If anyone wanted to adopt one of us, they'd have to adopt the other. Basically, we were a packaged deal.

We had met Esme first. We were walking back from the convenience store that was two blocks away from the orphanage. It was Saturday, the one day of the week where we were allowed to roam around town until dinner.

While we were walking, we accidentally bumped into Esme.

_Flashback_

_"Oh!" I exclaimed. One second I was talking to Alice about how the store clerk should add marshmallow bananas; the next, I was sitting on the cold, hard concrete of the sidewalk. I could tell that my face showed my shock._

_When I got up, I saw the cause._

_I had crashed into a young lady. She was very pretty. She had very pale skin, almost white._

_I glanced around me. When I had fallen, I had let loose my grip on the shopping bags that were full of the sweets that Alice and I had bought. The sweets were strewn across the sidewalk._

_ I glanced back towards the young lady. She looked slightly shocked as well. I remembered my manners and offered my hand. She took it gladly. When she grabbed my hand, I noticed that her skin was very cold and hard. I winced. She frowned slightly._

_"I am very sorry miss. I wasn't looking where I was going," I said in my high squeaky voice. When she got up, she smiled warmly at me. I smiled back. She just made me want to smile._

_"That's quite alright. What is your name?" she asked me. Her voice held something that I had longed for a long time; a mother. Her motherly tone and warm smile was a very sweet treat for me. I wished that she could be my mother._

_"My name is Edward, miss."_

_"What a wonderful name, Edward. My name is Esme Cullen." She glanced towards Alice, and then sifted her position so that she was kneeling down to look at her. "And who might you be?" she asked Alice in that soft, motherly voice._

_Alice looked her straight in the eye. She had no fear when it came to meeting new people. I fact, she was down right giddy. "I might be Amanda Bynes, but then I'd be lying." I heard a soft chuckle escape from Esme's lips. It reminded me of a everything pleasant a wonderful. "My name is actually Alice."_

_"Well, I'm very pleased to meet you, Alice." Esme replied. She then stood up and looked towards the setting sky. "Shouldn't you two be at home? It's getting awfully late and your parents are probably worried sick." She looked at us. The corners of my mouth had pulled down. Esme's brow furrowed in confusion. "What's wrong? Don't you want to go home to your parents?" she questioned._

_Her eyes pierced through me, trying to read me. I wanted to avoid her gaze. I began to collect our sweets that still lay all over the sidewalk._

_Alice came to my rescue. "Our parents are dead. We're just friends from the local orphanage." She said sadly. I had finished collecting our sweets. When I looked up, Esme's eyes were full of sorrow and compassion._

_"Oh. I'm so sorry. I wish that I could he-" Esme was cut off by a settle ringing noise. She dug into her purse and pulled out a cell phone. She pushed a button and held it to her ear. She nodded her head then turned to us. "I'm sorry, but I have to go. It was nice meeting you both. Good-bye." She walked off then._

_"We should probably go too. I don't want to have to sit through another lecture from bad breath Bob." Alice said. I nodded my head. We then turned around and headed back to the place that we were forced to call home._

_End Flashback_

Only a few weeks later, Esme showed up at the orphanage with a man that looked about the same age as her. She introduced us to Carlisle.

We had asked them why they were there and they had told us that they were there to adopt us. Alice and I had been overjoyed.

A few weeks later, we had our suitcases packed and were saying our good-byes.

**A/N: I know that was a filler but I felt like I had to include how Alice and Edward had been adopted by the Cullen's. I originally had another idea in mind for this chapter, but this is where it led. The next chapter will probably be a short one, but it will be Edward's POV. Please tell your friends about my story, asnd remember to REVIEW! **


	4. 4 Before She Leaves

**Thanks SO much to all you readers out there! So far, this story has gotten 95 hits! You know what really makes me want to update though? REVIEWS! So please review, I appreciate your thoughts on my story. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 4**

**Edward's POV**

I was _still_ doing my math homework. Ughh! I hated fractions!

I was _finally_ on the last question when my favourite song came on the radio. I turned up the volume and hummed along.

About halfway through the song, a loud, high pitched noise sounded from outside. I turned off the radio and listened, but the noise had stopped.

_Strange._ I thought. I turned the radio back on.

After a few minutes, I finished my math homework. I packed my bag for Monday then headed downstairs to make myself an ice-cream sundae.

When I was at the foot of the stairs, I saw my sister nagging at Bella. _Why_ she was here this late, I didn't know. She looked beaten up. Her hair was tangled and had dirt in it. Her forehead and leg were both bleeding. Telling from her tear-streaked face, she had been crying.

I felt the sudden urge to go over to her and comfort her. I wasn't sure why either.

The urge left me when Bella securely placed her hand on top of Alice's mouth. Alice gave her signature evil little pixie glare. Bella said something to Alice, to which she hesitantly nodded her head in response.

I couldn't help but burst out in laughter. Bella was the first person that I had _ever _seen to be able to shut Alice up. It was _hilarious_!

Bella turned around to face me. Her chocolate brown eyes still danced with humour.

"You know Bella," I said, "I think that you are the first person to shut up Alice; ever!" I voiced my thoughts. Bella's cheeks turned slightly pink.

I looked her over again. I frowned. "Bella, what happened to you? You're bleeding, a lot." I really was curious as to what had happened to her. Just then, Carlisle walked in the room.

"Bella was almost attacked by an animal, Edward." My frown deepened. What was doing in these woods at this time of night? "I agree with you Alice, Bella should not have been out there at this time of night." Carlisle moved to Bella's side. "Now if you will excuse me, I have a patient to look after." With that, Carlisle led Bella up to his study.

I heard a sigh. I spun around to face Alice. She looked worried. Her hazel eyes were fixed upon the stairs.

Instinctively, I moved to her side. "What's wrong Alice? Why do look so worried?" I asked her.

She turned her face to look up at me. She was very tiny for someone as energetic as her. Her eyes bore into mine, trying to tell me what was wrong.

"I- I think that I saw this coming." She said. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"What do mean by that, Alice?"

"Last night I had a dream about Bella." She began. I nodded my head, signalling for her to continue. "It was dark, and she was walking aimlessly through the woods. Where ever she stepped, a pool of blood was left behind." She walked over towards the cream coloured sofa. I took the seat next to her. "She continued to walk, crying out 'Help me! Help me!' I wanted to help her, but I was like a ghost; I couldn't touch her. Then, out from the bushes, sprung a giant form of a shadow. Bella started to scream. The scene played out in slow motion. Just as it was about to attack Bella, I woke up." Alice looked up at me, the fear of her dream present in her eyes. I moved my arm around her tiny waist and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"You don't have to worry Alice. Bella's safe. Nothing hurt her." I comforted her.

"But Edward, that's not the worst part. I saw the face of her almost killer." She hesitated before going on. "It was Jasper."

I looked at her like she was crazy. Jasper? A murderer? Yeah right.

"Alice." I sighed. "I know that that sounds scary and all, but Jasper is not a murderer." Alice bobbed her head up and down, but there was still some doubt lingering in her eyes. I sighted again. "Alice, why don't you believe me?"

Alice jumped off of the couch and threw her hands up in the air. "Because Edward, you know stuff like this always happens to me!"

That was true. For most of Alice's life, she had seen premonitions in her dreams. The freaky thing was that they always came true the next day.

She had always seen good things though, nothing like this.

"Sorry Alice. I completely forgot." I apologised to her and gave her one of my sincere soft smiles.

Alice's face softened slightly, but still had a hard edge to it. "Yeah, yeah." She waved her hand as if dismissing the subject. "Whatever Eddie." I cringed. She knew that I hated that name.

"Alice! I now release her into your custody!" Carlisle shouted from his study upstairs. Alice perked up immediately. Excitement and curiosity filled her eyes, as the fear from earlier disappeared.

"I gotta go Eddie!"

"And torture another victim" I huffed, just loud enough for her to hear. She stopped, mid-step, and whirled around. I flashed an innocent look. She glared at me, grabbed a pillow from the couch, and chucked it at me. It hit me in the face.

"Right on target." Alice declared, skipping up the stairs like a little schoolgirl.

I chuckled lightly, thinking of what Alice was putting Bella through right now.

I entered the kitchen to find Esme scooping ice cream from a large bucket. She also had out three bowls, homemade whipped cream, strawberry sauce, sprinkles, and three cherries. She was making ice cream ice cream sundaes; one of my favourites, and unfortunately, one Alice's favourites as well.

"Hello Edward. How are you?" Esme asked. She never needed to look up to know that it was me.

I walked up to her. She put the ice cream scoop down and turned around to face me. I gave her a light hug and kissed her on the cheek.

"I'm fine." I replied. I picked up a cherry and popped it in my mouth. It was sweet and juicy. I felt a slap on my arm. I turned around to face Esme, a scowl on her face.

"That was for the sundaes, Edward, not for naughty nibblers." She wagged her finger at me.

"Aha! So I was correct! You _are_ making sundaes!" I shot my index finger in the air.

"You're a real detective Holmes, Edward." Esme joked. "Oh, and by the way, no cherry for you." I smiled, knowing that I deserved my punishment. Esme finished scooping the ice cream and returned it to the freezer. She then picked up the whipped cream and began to dump heaps of it onto the ice cream. Next were the sprinkles, then the strawberry sauce, my favourite part. She began to lather the sauce on when I spoke up.

"Mom, honestly, you should know by now that you _never_ give Alice sugar, especially _this _much, at _this_ time of night." A small smile appeared on her face.

"Trust me Edward. If I can handle Emmett during April Fools Day, I can handle Alice on a sugar rush." I smiled and shook my head slightly. Esme never ceased to amaze me. Never.

Esme then plopped on a cherry on the top of two of the sundaes, finishing her work. She stepped back to admire her masterpieces. I clapped and shouted 'Bravo' to her. She turned my way and bowed, holding out her apron in a curtsy-like manner.

"Girls! Do you want your ice cream sundaes?!" Esme shouted towards the top of the staircase. Just seconds later, I heard the thumping of their running feet coming down the stairs.

Esme pushed the cherry-less sundae to me, giving me a sly grin. I picked up the spoon and took in a spoonful of the sundae.

I swallowed just as I heard the patting of Alice's purple fuzzy slippers enter the kitchen followed by Bella's bare feet.

I looked up and met with Bella's beautiful, chocolate brown eyes. I flashed her my crooked smile. Her cheeks turned a dark, crimson red hue. I felt the sudden urge to caress her soft, silky cheek. What was I thinking? I pushed those thoughts out of my mind.

I continued to watch her, as she made her way to the island. She kept her head down, for some reason. I looked over her figure again. She was wearing her dark blue PJ's that Alice had specially bought for her, for whenever she slept over here. The PJ's fitted her nicely and the colour contrasted well to her pale skin.

Somehow, while she walking over to the island, she lost her footing. Only, Bella, clumsy Bella, could trip and fall on smooth tile. She was the clumsiest person that I knew; even worse than Clumsy Carl.

I wasn't about to just let her earn another few bruises from tonight. I held out my arm to catch her. I caught her around the waist, just as she was about to make contact with the floor. I set her upright.

She looked up at me and somehow was able to blush an even deeper red.

"You seem to be falling a lot today." I stated with humour thick in my voice. _And blushing a lot too._ I thought. I gave her another one of my crooked smiles. I hated my smile. It looked so weird.

She never said 'thanks', we just starred into each other's eyes. Her eyes were telling me thanks. They were also holding embarrassment, and…. Sadness?

Alice interrupted us.

"Are you okay Bella?" she asked, concerned. Why did she sound concerned? She knows that I would _never_ even think about hurting Bella.

I released my hold on Bella. She was here to see Alice, not me.

Bella nodded her head to indicate that she was fine. She mumbled something inaudible to me. She then took the seat; the seat right beside me.

The three of us began to eat our sundaes. Bella and I were quiet, while Alice babbled the sale at the mall that she had scored big with. As if _she,_ of all people, needed more clothes.

I sat there, itching to know what had dragged her here (I glanced at the clock), ten o'clock at night. Finally, I couldn't hold it in anymore. I had to know.

"So, Bella." I began. "Why did you come here at ten o'clock at night?" By the look on her face, I had caught her off guard.

"Well, Edward," a chill ran through my body when she said my name, "I got into a fight with my mom. I got really angry with her, and left the house. The first place I thought to go to was your house." This confused me. Bella got into a fight with Renee? But they were so close. I had to ask what the fight was about.

"What was the fight about; if you don't mind me asking that is?"

"My parents are getting a divorce and my mom is forcing me to come with her and move to Phoenix. But I don't want to leave Forks." She finished.

Instantly, my heart ached for her. This was so sudden. It seemed as though even _she_ didn't know about this until today. She looked up at me, her eyes filled with sadness.

"Oh Bella, that's terrible. I am _so_ sorry." I replied. I instantly pulled her into a gentle, comforting hug. She didn't protest or pull away from me so I continued to hug her. We stayed there for a few seconds.

When I pulled away, a smile pulled across her lips.

"Thanks Edward. I needed that." She said.

After that, Esme came up behind her and began to comfort her.

"Okay you guys, time for bed. It's really late, and I don't need cranky children in the morning. Her eyes danced with humour.

As we headed up the stairs, we all groaned in protest. I really wanted to talk to Bella more. I wanted to comfort her, to hug her, before she left tomorrow.

Before I never saw her again.

**A/N: I hope that you enjoyed that chapter. Just so you know, in chapter 2 I said that Edward parent's died when he was two, but they actually died when her was four. So anyways, please, if have you have the time to read this story/chapter, you have time can have time to leave a little review. Thanks! Remember to REVIEW!**


	5. Childish Antics

**A/N: Hey there everyone! I hope that you enjoyed the last chapter. This story has gotten 225 hits! Wow! Thanks to all of you who are supporting me in this story. Please keep reading and reviewing! Thanks! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Twilight Saga, that would be Stephanie Meyer.**

**Chapter 5:**

**Childish Antics**

**Bella POV**

I woke up with the light from the morning sun filtering through the curtains. It was one of those rare, sunny days in Forks. It was beautiful.

I didn't want to remember it this way.

I wanted to remember the days when it would be pouring rain outside. I would be at the Cullen's house, playing outside in the puddles. I would be with the people that I loved.

I groaned and turned around to face the shiny metallic clock on the bedside table. The bright red numbers on the clock read eight thirty.

I checked the other bed across the room. That's right, they even had a spare _bed_ for me here. The sheets and blankets were nicely made with a single pillow at the head. Only one thing was missing. Alice.

She had always been a morning person. She was also a night owl. I swear, sometimes it's like she never sleeps.

She must already have gone down stairs. She's probably already dressed. Heck; she's probably already picked out an outfit for _me_ today. I sighed. The last outfit that she would ever pick out for me.

I reluctantly got out from under the soft, warm blankets. I would miss them too. The memories from so many other sleepovers filled my mind.

As soon as I opened the bedroom door, the most wonderful smell filled my nose. Chocolate chip pancakes with syrup and whipped cream, smothered in strawberries. Esme's homemade chocolate chip pancakes were the best. I loved them.

I wanted to run down the stairs and stuff my face full of pancakes. Unfortunately, my body had other plans. I was still half asleep and my legs dragged along the hallway's carpeting.

I slowly made my way down the stairs, yawning occasionally. I walked at snails pace. At least I wouldn't be able to trip going at this pace.

When I finally made it to the bottom of the stairs, I entered the kitchen.

That was probably the worst thing that I could have done.

Immediately I heard a high pitched squeal and the scraping of a stool against smooth tile. The breath whooshed out of my lungs as a strong force came into impact with my body.

"Good morning Bella!" chirped Alice.

"Good morning to you too, Alice. Now will you do me a favour?" She bobbed her head up and down in reply. "Let me breathe!" I squeezed out with the last bit of oxygen I had left. Instantly, the pressure from my chest lifted, and I took in a big breath of air. Sweet, beautiful air.

"Sheesh Alice, for someone so tiny, you sure are strong." I exclaimed.

I looked in to Alice's eyes. They were full of worry and regret. I smiled kindly at her. The corners of her mouth pulled up into a wide grin.

**Edward POV**

"Yeah, especially with throwing pillows." I said from where I was sitting at the counter.

Alice turned around and shot me a death glare. I raised my hand signalling my innocence. She continued to glare at me in her evil little pixie way.

Suddenly, Bella's laughter filled the kitchen. Her laugh was sweet and innocent. It was beautiful.

"I must agree with you Edward. I've experienced her evil power with pillow-throwing during our pillow fights." I joined her laughing.

Alice's eyes darted from Bella to me. Then after a few seconds, she joined in our laughing. This reminded me of the good old days, when we would suddenly burst out laughing for no reason. I was going to miss these types of days.

After a few more minutes of laughing, we calmed down. Alice and Bella took their seats at the other two stools. I sat in between Bella and Alice. They were probably going to be chatting to each other across me, for the entire morning.

Oh boy.

Esme had already left to go read her book in her bedroom, so it was just us.

Before she had left, Esme had cooked up a batch of her homemade chocolate chip pancakes. They were my favourite. They were also Bella's favourite.

Alice had told me to wait until Bella woke up. Now that Bella was up, we all stuffed our faces with Esme's pancakes.

We ate silently for about five minutes. Then Alice began to talk, about clothes.

I tolerated it for about fifteen minutes; a new record for me. Then she crossed the line.

"I wonder what Edward would look like in a skirt." She stated. I turned and glared at her. Then Bella joined.

"I don't know, Alice. But I do know that it wouldn't be pretty. I mean honestly, have you seen those hairy legs of his?" for an extra effect, she shuddered.

"You're right there, Bella." Alice agreed. She too then shuddered.

"My legs are not hairy! You're being ridiculous!" I shouted. I heard giggling from both sides of me.

Since they were annoying me, I would annoy them.

I flicked their heads.

They both turned to me with mouths hanging wide open. Their eyes were filled with anger.

"Why did you flick our heads?!" Alice asked angrily.

"Because my dearest sister, you were annoying me."

"But that's no reason to flick our heads!"

"Yes it is, Alice." I turned away from her penetrating stare and turned to face Bella. Her mouth was still hanging open in shock. I lightly grabbed her chin and closed her mouth. "Now, now Bella. It is rude to hang your mouth open like that." I wagged my finger at her while making 'tsking' sounds. I then turned back to my food.

**Bella's POV**

He wanted to annoy me, then I'll annoy him back. Fight fire with fire. I ground my teeth and raised my hand. He didn't turn around. Good; he didn't see it coming. I didn't want to hurt him, so I wouldn't use full force.

I slapped his forearm.

He turned to me. He didn't seem angry, not at all. His eyes were mischievous.

He raised his hands to my sides. I knew what he was about to and I wasn't going to allow it. He knew that I _hated_ to be tickled.

My eyes widened.

I jumped up from my seat and ran out of the kitchen. I felt like yelling out 'you can't catch me, I'm the gingerbread man!'; but I didn't. I glanced back for a second.

Edward was chasing me, wiggling his fingers threateningly. Behind him was Alice with a tube of lip stick in her right hand, chasing Edward.

Suddenly I slipped on the hardwood flooring of the living room. Typical me. I fell my butt with a thud. Edward was too close to avoid impact. He tripped over me and landed on the couch.

Alice ran over to him and seized him. I managed to get up and aid Alice. I held him down by pushing on his chest, while Alice unscrewed the top of the lip stick. Edward's eyes widened in fear at the sight of the crimson red lip stick. He struggled but I kept my hold on him.

"Pucker up, Eddie." Alice said. She then dove into her work.

When she was finished, Edward's lips were crimson red. I thought that she had finished, but I was wrong. She pulled out a hot pink cell phone and flipped it open. A few seconds later, a flashing sound escaped from the cell phone.

"Blackmail." she said as she flipped the phone closed.

**Edward's POV**

Oh, crap.

**A/N: Hoped you liked that chapter. I just wanted to show you guys Edward, Alice, and Bella's relation ship with each other. Please remember to REVIEW. Thanks! **


	6. More Childish Anitcs and Traditions

**A/N: Hello again! I hope that you all enjoyed the last chapter. I would really enjoy some more reviews though. Honestly, if you have the time to read my story and put it on favourites or alert, you can certainly leave a REVIEW! Thanks! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters; that would be Stephenie Meyer.**

**Chapter 6**

_**More**_** Childish Antics and Traditions**

**Bella's POV**

Alice had gotten Edward good.

After we had released Edward, he had run up the stairs, like a madman, to the washroom. No doubt to wash off the crimson red lipstick that Alice had applied to his pale pink lips.

It's always a good idea to carry around some blackmail material.

I waited until Edward had come trudging down the stairs. He wore a scowl on his face. Now I was able to take my plan into action.

Mission: Annoy Edward to the point where his head is about to explode.

Alice and I were sitting on the couch watching the television. Edward walked toward us and sat in between us. Perfect.

He plopped down on the couch and focused his attention on the television. I waited a few minutes before I began my evil scheme.

I turned my head from the television. I then leaned forward so that Alice was in my sight. She was absorbed in the commercial advertising for a fashion show. In order for my scheme to work, I had to get her attention.

I snapped my fingers in her direction. No response.

Edward looked at me curiously, trying to decipher my thoughts. I was not going to allow _that_ to happen. I gave him my mind-your-own-business look. It hurt me to be rude to him, but he _flicked_ my head! That cannot go un-noticed.

He looked hurt, but returned his attention back to the television.

I looked back to Alice. She was still absorbed in the T.V. This was going to be hard.

"Hey Alice. Can I ask you something? Alice? Alice!" _Still _no response.

Edward's eyes were still fixed to the T.V., but his left eyebrow arched in a questioning motion. I glared at him. He frowned slightly, but paid me no mind.

Time for my last resort. I sighed. I _really_ didn't want to have to do this. I took a deep breath and prepared myself.

My words came out in a rush. "Hey Alice they're having a shoe sale at the mall today. Everything is fifty percent off."

**Alice's POV**

Shoe sale?

**Bella's POV**

Alice's eyes seemed to pop out of her head. She ripped her eyes off of the T.V. The corners of her mouth pulled up into a wide grin. She was in the position of jumping off the couch and running the whole way to the mall. Her fingers were twitching.

She looked straight at me.

"Just kidding." I managed to squeak out. I flashed her a nervous smile.

She looked beyond furious. A thousand miles past furious. She was ready to kill.

Number one rule with Alice. _Never_ kid around about shoes. _Ever_.

"Isabella Marie Swan! How dare you-" I cut her off.

"Now that I have your attention Alice. Can I ask you something?" She looked at me, still furious, but I gave her a sly wink and she seemed to cool down immediately. She grinned evilly at me in response.

Edward just looked at me, confounded.

**Edward's POV**

What was trying to do?!

**Bella's POV**

Now my plan was working. Finally.

"I was just wondering if you could send me that picture of Edward with the lip stick on." I was leaning straight across Edward, Alice was doing the same.

"Why, of course I could Bella. Doesn't that sound like a great idea Eddie?" Alice said.

I looked up at Edward. His face was a mixture between shock and anger.

"Oh, don't worry Eddie, that shade of red looks really becoming on you." His face was turning red.

"By the way Bella; why do you want to have that picture?" Alice asked me.

"Well Alice, that way I can show _all_ of my new friends in Phoenix what Eddie here looks like." I stole a quick glance at Edward. His face was getting even redder.

"Would you also like me to send you that video of Eddie from a few months back? That would show your new friends how handsome he really is."

I smiled evilly. "Why yes I would Alice."

"Normal of high definition?"

"Definitely high definition." I answered.

Any second now, Edward would burst.

**Edward's POV**

They had gone too far.

_~Flashback~_

"_Oh Eddie!" Alice said in a sing song voice. I dropped the pen that I was using to do my socials homework and turned around to face her._

_My jaw dropped._

_In her right hand was her make up bag and rope. In her left hand, she held a knee-length, hot pink dress and a pair of hot pink Prada high heels._

_Standing next to her was Bella._

_My jaw dropped even farther._

_In Bella's right hand was a small video camera. And the red light was on._

_I was doomed._

_~Flashback end~_

I burst.

**Bella's POV**

I could almost see the smoke coming out of Edward's. His fingers twitched. He stood up and began to walk towards the stairs.

The strange thing about Edward is that he doesn't shout or hit when he gets angry. He always acts so calm and put together.

As much as I liked him, I just loved to tease him. We had been doing it to each other for our whole lives. It was just simply tradition.

But my conscience was telling me that maybe I should change tradition.

I could tell that I had hurt him and I didn't want that. I arose from my seat on the couch

Just as I was about to tell Edward that I was sorry, the doorbell rang.

I stopped in my tracks and turned around to face the door.

**A/N: Sorry for the cliffy. I will try to update as soon as I can. Thanks to ****whiskersmagic ****for the idea about torturing a guy by dressing him up. Real life experiences really help me (and it was fun to do it too). Thanks to all of you who REVIEW. Those REVIEWS really help. Now click that little button down there and send me a few words.**


	7. On the Other Side of the Front Door

**A/N: Okay, so I hope that you all enjoyed the last chapter. I had an awesome time writing it. I am so sorry that I take long periods of time to update! I have to juggle this on top of my life (which mainly consists of homework and my friend dragging me around the mall). Please leave a review; they really help me to write faster. Thanks! Also, I am really sorry that I don't reply to all of my reviews, but fanfiction doesn't let me reply to some of them. I really appreciate ALL of your reviews! Thank you guys SO much!**

**One more thing, I would really appreciate it if you guys checked out my profile because I wrote about an organization called 'invisible children'. It is a really good organization that supports a really great cause. So, yeah, check it out, please. **

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Last time I checked, I wasn't Stephenie Meyer. (checks mirror) Nope, still not! (sighs) Oh well!**

**Chapter Seven**

**On The Other Side of The Front Door**

**Bella's POV**

I was just starring at the door.

I knew who it was and I didn't want to move. I knew that if I did, I would never return. My legs were, for once in my life, agreeing with my brain. I stayed in place, afraid. No, terrified, of my future. The only thing that was separating me from my happy life right now, and a life of loneliness, was that plain white wooden door. It was the only thing that was preventing my heart from breaking to the point of being un-repairable.

Alice, Edward, and I were all just standing still; as still as statues. They too knew that my fate, my future, lay behind that door. Most people would think that I was being over-dramatic, but I _really_ didn't want to have to leave my life. Starting over would be too hard for me. It would be too hard for my heart.

A set of footsteps came running down the stairs. A moment later, Esme's kind, motherly face appeared in the living room. She was holding her place in her book with her index finger. I looked at the title. _Pride and Prejudice_ by Jane Austen. Despite the circumstances, I faintly smiled. I loved the classics. Nobody knew that except for Alice and Esme. My favourite book was _Wuthering Heights_.

Esme was swiftly walking towards the front door. "Honestly, am I the only person who can hear this frantic ringing?" She asked in her teasing tone. She was starring at us, smiling softly. It amazed me how she was able to manoeuvre around the room, without even looking at where she was going.

I was pulled out of my happy, quiet, and calm place at Esme's soft, warm words. She would never know how much those words saddened me. They reminded me of what was going to happen.

I frowned.

Esme was now standing in front of the door. Her hand reached out and grasped the door knob. I wanted to yell out 'No!' but I was still in a frozen state.

Time seemed to be moving in slow motion.

Esme's hand turned the door knob slowly. No sound, except for the click of the door, entered my ears. It was deafening to my ears.

Then the door opened.

The bright sunlight blinded me for a moment, forcing me to cover my eyes. Usually the sun wasn't _this_ bright, but I guess that just happens when you stare straight into the sun.

Once I uncovered my eyes, I was able to see the silhouette of a person. My eyes were still partially blinded from the sun. I rapidly blinked for several seconds.

Once I was able to see clearly again, I was welcomed by the warm brown eyes of Charlie. He was smiling widely at me, his arms open wide.

The corners of my mouth pulled up into a smile. I ran into Charlie's arms. His warm, comforting embrace made me happy.

We were like that until I remembered why he must be here.

Renée. Divorce. Phoenix. Leaving.

Charlie must have felt my sudden tension because he quickly pulled away from our embrace. He looked me up and down, trying to see if I was hurt. He looked into my eyes. His eyes were full of concern for his little girl.

"I'm not hurt dad. Don't worry about me." My voice cracked on the last few words. I shot him a wobbly smile. He looked at me incredulously.

"No, Bella, you're not fine. I can tell. You suck at lying." I glared at him. He took no mind of it.

He violently closed his eyes shut. "Ugh! This is my entire fault! I should have told you. It was so sudden. I thought that we were going to go to court first. Make it official…" Charlie continued to babble. I reached up and lightly placed my hand on his shoulder. He opened his eyes and looked at me his eyes full of sorrow and regret.

I spoke gently, "Dad, none of this your fault. Please don't get upset over me." I pleaded. "I know that I have to leave now," Charlie nodded, "just let me get changed first," I faintly smiled, "I don't want to have to go onto the plane in my pyjamas, do I?" I chuckled lightly to lift the mood.

Charlie didn't chuckle. "I'm so sorry, Bella." He said quietly. I smiled weakly at him then turned around and ran up the stairs. I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes. I couldn't let him see me cry.

It would only make it that much harder.

**A/N: I hope that you enjoyed that chapter! It wasn't my favourite chapter I must admit. I am sorry that it is short and that I took so long, but I have a legitimate reason. You see, when I was almost finished this chapter, my computer decided to delete almost the whole chapter! Also, it is short because I didn't want to keep you guys waiting any longer. Also, I am sorry that Bella is so depressed in this chapter, but honestly, she has to leave her life behind her! Wouldn't you be depressed too if you were forced to move across the country on VERY short notice? I probably would be.**

**Reviews make a happy writer! And a happy writer equals more updates! See how that math works? Anyways, I won't be up dating UNTIL I get at least TEN reviews! Alright? Great! Remember to review! (P.S. the button is right down there!)**


	8. The Airport and the Button

**A/N: Sorry for taking long periods of time before updating. My life has been a whirlwind lately. I just had a HUGE biology test and big Socials report. Really, the only reason why I am updating so much earlier is because my friend started to violently hit me for taking "forever" to update. I swear, I think that I can still see some red marks om my arms. Anyways, thanks so much for all of your reviews! 12 of them in the first day! I appreciate every single one of them. Please keep reviewing! They make my day!**

**Disclaimer:**** Sadly, I own nothing, except for my FUZZY SOCKS!!!**

**Chapter 8**

**The Airport and the Button**

**EPOV**

Bella amazed me.

She was acting so brave for Charlie. I could see her lies through her light voice. I could hear the tears threatening to escape her brown eyes when she told Charlie that everything would be okay. I could hear the little girl screaming when she laughed.

I could feel her heart breaking.

The odd thing was that I seemed to be the only person who noticed her suffering. Everyone just stood there and watched; buying every lie she croaked.

When she dashed past me, in a hurry to escape all of the guilt she believed to be hers, I felt a drop of wetness fall on my arm; a tear. She was finally crying out all of her sadness and fear. All I wanted to do was bring her into my arms and comfort her. I wanted to tell her that everything would be alright.

But I couldn't lie to her.

I quickly shook all of these thoughts out my head. My brain felt jumbled up. My feelings were everywhere. I didn't like _like_ Bella, I just felt bad for her.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jasper hang his head, as if in shame, and shake it. My frown deepened and my eyebrows knit together. Was he ashamed in Bella, thinking that it was all of her fault? If he thought it was, why I would…

Jasper turned slightly to look at me. He gave me a look that said 'Cool down!' Sometimes Jasper seemed to know just how I was feeling. It was kind of freaky.

I took a deep breath and let it go, calming myself. Jasper smiled, then looked away to talk quietly with Rosalie, his twin sister.

Alice was staring up the stairs, a worried expression present on her little pixie face. I walked over to her silently and whispered in her ear.

"Something bothering you, Ally?" I asked. Startled, she quickly spun around, whacking my arm in the process. Once she saw who had startled her, she sent me the evil little pixie death glare. She violently slapped my arm. I cringed and rubbed my red arm.

"Edward Anthony Masen Cullen! If you _ever _ sneak up on me again, I will-" cut her off.

"I was just wondering what's got all worried. No need to slap me. Honestly, what has this arm ever done to you?"

She sighed. "It's Bella. I'm going to miss her, a lot." She sighed again, and then trudged up the stairs, leaving me to contemplate what she had just said.

I was going to miss Bella too; a lot.

**BPOV**

Once I was upstairs in Alice's room, I cried. I literally fell to my knees and cried. All of this was my fault. I deserved everything that was happening to me, but none of my friends did. They shouldn't have to suffer. I shouldn't have brought this upon them. I should have just left without saying goodbye. But I was selfish.

Everything I touched turned into a disaster.

I cried in peace for a few minutes until a soft rapping noise came from the door. I wiped my damp cheeks and stood up. I pulled myself together as best as I could.

"Who is it?" I asked, cracking on the last word. I silently cursed myself for that.

"Can I please enter my own room please?" Alice pleaded. I quickly ran over to my drawer in Alice's wardrobe and ripped it open.

"Sure Alice," I answered, while rummaging through my clothes for something suitable to wear other than my pyjamas.

Moments later, Alice was by my side, rummaging with me. After a few more seconds of searching, I pulled away in defeat. Alice didn't though. In mere seconds she was holding my favourite pair of jeans and dark blue blouse. _This doesn't make sense._ I thought. _Last night they were soaked._

"Weren't these soaked last night?" I voiced my thoughts.

"Well, yeah, but Esme put them in the dryer for you." Alice said matter-of-factly. This just made my heart heavier with guilt. Alice was holding the clothes out to me, dangling them in front of my face annoyingly. I hesitantly took them and changed.

"What's wrong Bella?"

Shoot.

She knew that something was wrong. She could see right through me as though she could read my mind.

I turned around to face her. She too, was changed out of her pyjamas. She now wore her favourite hot pink shirt with her denim mini skirt. She looked amazing, as always.

"Why so dressed up, Alice? Jasper isn't even here." I said teasingly. Her cheeks darkened slightly but she still managed a glare.

"Don't change the subject, Bella," she crossed her arms over her chest, "and if you must know, I am going with you to the airport. Now what's bothering you, Bellsy?" She cooed.

"All of this is my fault, Alice. That's what's wrong! I wish I was dead!" I shouted to myself, lip quivering. I started crying again. My hot tears stung my cheeks. Alice just came over and hugged me, letting me cry.

We just stood there and hugged for a long time, listening to my balling. Finally, I was able to take control of myself. I pulled away and faintly smiled.

"Thanks Alice, I needed that."

"No problem. Now let's go and get you tidied up. You're all red and puffy." With those words, she grabbed my wrist and whisked me into the bathroom.

The ride to the Port Angles airport was long. I didn't mind. Not one bit. I wanted to cherish every last second with everyone.

The whole Cullen clan had decided to ride along with Charlie and I to the airport. Although, due to the four people limit of Charlie's cruiser, only Alice and Edward rode along. The rest of the Cullen's were forced to drive themselves to the airport. Esme and Carlisle in one car, and Rosalie, Emmett and Jasper in the other.

By the time we all made it past security, I had exactly ten minutes until I boarded my plane.

Charlie handed me my bag that he had been carrying. I took it without trouble, seeing as I only had two books and my passport. I slung it over my shoulder.

When I looked up at Charlie, I caught sight of a small tear falling down his cheek. He wore a weak smile. I wrapped my arms around his waist and buried my head into his jacket. He lightly hugged me back. After a few seconds, I pulled away.

"I love you Dad." I croaked.

"I love you too, Bells." He whispered. Charlie wasn't one to show much emotion, so these words surprised me. I would cherish them forever.

I moved on to the Cullen's. Carlisle and Esme were first. I gave them each a light embrace, which they both returned gratefully.

I came up to Jasper next. He stood there awkwardly for a few seconds before sticking out his right hand. I grasped it with my own and I shook his. His shake was stiff and firm, like someone who would be from the military. Sometimes I wondered what Alice saw in him.

Next was Rosalie. She was admiring herself in her compacted mirror.

_This ought to be fun._ I thought sarcastically.

I just stood there, with my right hand held out in front of me. Without looking, she said, "Bye Isabella." I cringed at the name.

"Rosalie…." Carlisle warned.

"Fine," she grumbled. She closed her mirror then gave me a quick light hug. When she pulled away, she was shooting daggers at me.

"Nice knowing you too," I said, sounding sincere. Only she detected the sarcasm in my words.

"Same here," she said sweetly, still glaring daggers.

Next was Emmett.

The moment that I stepped in front of him, I was engulfed into a lung-crushing hug.

"Emmett… can't… breathe!" I choked. I was immediately put down and released. Emmett's roaring laughter filled my ears.

"I'm gonna miss you too, squirt!" He bellowed. I rushed over and lightly hugged him. He returned the hug, this time much lighter.

"I'm going to miss you Emmett." I said. I pulled away and moved onto Alice, who immediately squeezed me. I squeezed her back.

"I'm going to miss you _so _much, Bella!" She squealed.

"I'm going to miss you too, Alice!" I squealed back. When I attempted to pull away, Alice tightened her hold around me.

"Alice I kind of have to…"

"Oh, Right. Sorry." She released her hold on me.

Next, and last, was Edward.

We stood for a few seconds facing each other. The speaker overhead spoke.

"Flight 212, Phoenix, Arizona, is now boarding. Flight 212, Phoenix, Arizona, is now boarding."

"That's my flight," I stated stupidly. Edward just simply nodded silently. He came forward and engulfed me in a light hug. I returned the hug. We stood there for a few seconds, just hugging. I didn't want to pull away. I was comfortable. I felt safe.

We pulled apart after a minute. We were only inches apart. My heart was beating erratically, my breathing was ragged.

My brain was whirring. My thoughts were jumbled and confused. Logic had fled from my brain. If I wasn't going to ever see him again, then why not?

I quickly leaned in. We were now just millimetres apart. Then, I kissed him. It was better than I had ever dreamed. His lips were warm and soft against mine. My lips felt as though they belonged with his.

Then I pulled away.

It was brief. I wished that it could have lasted forever, but I wasn't going to be selfish this time. The truth was that I was afraid of rejection. It was obvious to me that he could never like me back. I just needed that one kiss, no matter how brief it was.

As soon as I had pulled away from Edward's lips, I ran into the hallway that led me to where the plane was boarding. I didn't look back, I just kept on moving.

Once in my seat, it took just ten minutes to take off. I noticed that one of the buttons on my blouse had fallen off, but that was the least of my concerns. Once in the air, I broke down crying again. I wasn't just leaving now; I had left. Everything was behind me, including the man that I may ever love.

I continued to cry until the man sitting behind me told me to shut up. I opened up my bag and removed my copy of _Wuthering Heights. _I opened it up, a tear falling on the worn page, staining it. More followed until the words were blurry.

**EPOV**

A button had fallen off of her blouse, and onto the floor. I picked it up, and placed it into my jeans pocket.

I watched as Bella's plane took off into the sky; carrying with it, my best friend.

**A/N: DON'T HATE ME!!! I hope that you liked that chapter, even though it was really sad. It was hard to write. Remember to look on my profile to learn about invisible children! Also, my mom's co-worker might have brain cancer, so, yeah. Remember the button. I will try to update soon, but with exams coming up soon, well, yeah. Don't forget to REVIEW! Thanks!**


	9. The Ride To Destiny

**A/N: Hey there everybody! That last chapter received 11 reviews! That was the most reviews that I've received for any chapter! Thanks SO MUCH all of you readers! I LOVE to read reviews! They make my day! Anyways, here is chapter 9!**

**Disclaimer: Yet again, I do not own Twilight, just this depressing plot. And… my FUZZY SOCKS!!!**

**Chapter 9**

**The Ride to Destiny**

**EPOV**

My head was still spinning wildly when I crawled into the car. We had decided to ride back with Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper in Emmett's truck. Or as he liked to call it the 'Human Crusher' or crusher for short. Taking a ride back with our siblings wasn't my decision, it was Alice's.

Once I had slithered into my seat and buckled up, we drove off. I just stared out of the car window. About ten minutes into the drive, it began to drizzle, then pour heavily. I wasn't surprised at the least, this was normal weather for Forks and Port Angeles. But this day, it seemed more significant. I decided that I was beginning to go crazy. All of the signs were there, starring me in the face.

Actually, the only sign was that I could have _sworn_ that Bella had kissed me seconds before she had left. It had been a quick kiss. But Bella would _never_ kiss me, I was her friend. Besides, I didn't have any romantic feelings towards her.

Or did I?

My head was telling me one thing but my heart was telling me another.

Classic.

My head started to pound fiercely in time with the rain. I winced from the pain. I tried to shake it off, but it just hurt more. It felt like my head my splitting open. I was surprised that no blood was soaking my gray T-shirt.

When I turned to look out of the window again, it was blurry. Nothing was in a solid form from what I could see. It looked like one big mess; just like my thoughts.

I sat in silence for most of the ride back. Emmett had turned the radio onto full blast. 'Please Don't Stop the Music' by Rihanna began to play. A loud 'whoop' sounded from the front. This was one of Emmett's favourite. Also, I heard a 'humph' from the front seat. Ever since Emmett had declared his love for this song, Rosalie had wanted to rip her throat out. It was actually quite entertaining.

A small, barely audible giggle escaped my lips. Alice heard this and her head came whipping around.

So much for making myself unknown.

"Edward, I haven't heard a peep out of you throughout the whole ride. What's on your mind?" She asked curiosity thick in her voice.

I sighed loudly. "Alice, it's nothing. Just ignore me," I replied.

Alice gave me her 'you are _so_ lying' look. "Yeah right Edward. Something is on your mind. Tell me, now," she said threateningly.

"Really Alice it's n-"

"Don't give me that Edward. I know that something is up. What is it?"

"Alice, can I not have my thoughts kept to myself?"

"No," she simply answered, face dead serious.

"Honestly Alice, If I was able to read your mind, I would give you _your_ privacy," I said in a desperate attempt to change the subject.

"Don't you dare change the subject Edward!" She said harshly, seeing right through me. "What is it? What's wro-" she stopped suddenly in mid-sentence. Her face brightened and a large smile became present on her face. "I know what it is. You're thinking about when Bella kissed you!" She shouted over the music.

Apparently, I wasn't going crazy.

Alice was.

No one else had seen that little peck that Bella and I had exchanged. So this was a shock to everyone. The shock seemed to spread throughout the whole truck. Honestly, Alice didn't know when to keep her mouth shut. I sent a death glare her way.

"WHAT?!" I heard Emmett yell from the front seat. The car suddenly swerved wildly. A horn sounded from a rather large semi truck on the opposite side of the road. Not even a second later, I felt the air whoosh out of my lungs as 'the crusher' made contact with the semi. My head flung backwards and I heard a faint cracking noise.

I had the feeling of rolling around everywhere. Everything was black. I realized that I had closed my eyes so I opened them.

I wish that I hadn't.

'The crusher' was tumbling down a steep hill. Somehow, I was still strapped into my seat. All around me was chaos. The contents of the truck were flying around everywhere. Next to me, Alice was screaming, her eyes wide with fear. Everyone else's eyes were wide and full of fear, but it looked like fear for us.

My seatbelt snapped, and I was sent flying forward. Alice's seatbelt did the same. We were both sent into the windshield. We crashed through and tumbled violently to the ground. The truck had finally come to a stop, wedged in between two trees.

Everything hurt. I felt blood running down my face and staining my shirt. A lot of blood.

I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer. I knew that if I closed them, I would slip into darkness and never return. I closed them.

All feeling left me. I couldn't feel the pain stabbing at me from every direction. I felt like I was floating. I felt light and soft. I loved this feeling.

Just as I was about to slip away into internal darkness, a fire like pain shot throughout my whole body. I screamed. The pain didn't go away it only increased. My heart was going over time.

If this was death, I wish that it would just end.

Another jab of pain shot throughout my body, but it felt different. It felt as though my body was rapidly growing. I could feel my body stretch and my face set into a firmer shape than was now.

The fire reached my heart, burning it. It pumped even harder. It hurt.

I screamed.

**BPOV**

I awoke suddenly.

My heart felt like it was being ripped into two. It felt like one half of m had just died. I wasn't sure why, but somehow I knew that something terrible had just happened.

I opened my mouth to breath, but all that came out was a blood-curdling scream.

I felt like I was dying inside, and nothing could help me.

Nothing.

**A/N: DON'T HATE ME!!! It is just a part of the story. You will all find out in later chapters. Trust me. Please review. I LOVE REVIEWS! I will try to update soon.**

**Peace! **


	10. Tripping on a Pen

**A/N: SO SORRY!!!**

**I know that I haven't updated in the LONGEST time! I cannot believe myself! PLEASE forgive me!!! I have exams in a week so I am under A LOT of pressure. I know, lame excuse, but it's all that I have. Anyways, I hope that little cliff hanger left you wanting more. I really enjoyed writing that chapter, so intense.**

**So, now without further ado, CHAPTER 10!**

**P.S. ****This chapter is dedicated to **_**whiskersmagic. **_**She is an awesome friend! And special thanks to xTWILIGHTxOBSESSEDx for all of your awesome reviews! **

**Disclaimer: ****Does Stephenie Meyer even have an account on fanfiction? Yet another question to ask her. In other words, I do not own Twilight (unfortunately).**

**Chapter 10**

**EPOV**

Every second the pain escalated even more. Every second, another flame was born on my already scorched skin. Every second, another piece of my heart was ripped apart.

Every second brought me further from my loved ones. Further from Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper, Alice.

Further from Bella.

Closer to death.

The odd thing was that death is supposed to be peaceful, pain free.

Not like this.

I never expected anything like this. I never expected the sensation of fire continually burning me, outwardly and internally. I never expected to feel as though all of my precious memories were being burned away by this fire. I struggled to remember, but I was failing.

I also felt, older. I wasn't sure why, but, I did.

Time had no meaning. Every second, minute, hour, day, felt the same. I had no clue how long I had been in this condition for. It felt like an eternity.

I knew that I had to savour every heartbeat. I didn't have many left.

Something strange, inhuman, was changing my body.

What was happening to me?

**BPOV**

It had taken the two flight attendants twenty minutes to clam me down. My throat had felt raw from so much screaming. My lungs had felt ready to burst from the lack of oxygen. I wasn't able to see out of my eyes for an hour because I couldn't stop crying. The flight attendants gave me water, food, and comfort (even though I could hear the annoyance in their voices).

But that didn't stop the pain.

The pain continued throughout the entire plane ride. I silently sobbed the entire time. I had to fake a happy smile for Renée, even though I still despise her for what she did to my life.

The pain has never left.

For almost three days now, my heart has been working overtime. My head and stomach have never ceased to stop throbbing.

"Bella, it's time for bed now," Renée told me, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Huh?" I asked unintelligibly. I was sitting on the light purple couch; _Wuthering Heights_ was open on my lap. I had never actually been reading it, I was too absorbed with my thoughts. I tried to find my spot, but my head was swirling so I gave up right away.

"I said that's it's time for bed, Bella. I swear, books and you are like teenagers and facebook!" she complained, throwing her hands up into the air. "Bella, Tu me deranges!" Her favourite saying these days.

I scrambled off of the couch. "Sorry Mom," with that, I scurried off to my new, hot, stuffy room.

As soon as I stepped into my room, I crashed into an ever-growing tower of cardboard boxes, and fell hard on my butt.

"Mom!" I yelled from my spot on the floor, "Why is there a stack of boxes right inside my door?!"

"Oh! Sorry Bella! We didn't have anymore room in the basement and your room has the most space right now! Don't worry though; there will be no more boxes by the end of the week!" She shouted from the living room

"So, of course, she puts them in the perfect disaster spot for a clumsy person. Typical!" I mumbled to myself.

I pulled on my favourite sweats and tank top, and then crawled into bed. Usually, I would read for about an hour or so, but tonight my head hurt too much.

I closed my eyes, and soon drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

**EPOV**

For the past while, I had grown numb to the pain that continued to burn me.

It was just me and my thoughts.

And death.

Suddenly, the most severe pain, the hottest flame of the fire, the tightest grip of death, was brought on me.

I screamed, louder than ever.

**BPOV**

I awoke suddenly, screaming the loudest I've ever screamed. It pierced through the air, and muffled my ears.

I was shaking violently and sweating. My breathing was hard and raspy. My heart felt as though it would break through my chest at any second. I clutched it with all of my might, to ensure that it wouldn't. My stomach was flipping uncontrollably. My head seared with a pain that was unknown to me.

Within seconds, Renée came bounding into my room. "Bella! I heard you scream! Are you alright?" She quickly took me in then gasped. "Bella! You're shaking, you're pale, you're sick!"

"No, mom, I'm fine, really." I squeaked out.

"Oh no, you're not! I am taking you to the hospital!" She grabbed my hand, and roughly dragged me out bed, both of us still in our PJ's.

Within ten minutes, we were pulling into the hospital parking lot. Renée was a speedy driver when something bad happens (or when there is a sale at the mall).

We entered the emergency room.

**EPOV**

I continued to scream out in pain. I could feel myself calling out 'Just let me die! Anything to make it stop!', but no one answered my desperate plea. No one came to my side to comfort me. I was alone in my pain.

Or was I?

Suddenly, my heart took its last beat, then stopped.

The pain receeded.

I was dead. I knew it.

**BPOV**

We had been waiting in the emergency room for three hours. I had nothing to do except wish that the pain would stop. Renée occupied herself by fidgeting with her purse straps and fooling around with her phone.

Just when I thought that we would be waiting here for eternity, one of the nurses called us in. We walked through a series of hallways in silence. There was the occasional doctor or nurse rushing past us. Other than that, the only sound was the clicking of Renée's two inch white heels against the white tiled floor.

Finally, we entered a room full of patients. There monitors steadily beeping, in time with the different people's hearts. A shiver ran up my spine. This place crept me out, almost more than Alice during trick-or-treating.

The Asian looking nurse led me to an empty bed. Just as I sat down, the pain left. I felt fine. Tired, seeing as it was four o'clock in the morning, but fine.

The nurse was just about to leave when I spoke up, "Wait! I feel better. The pain's gone."

The nurse turned back and looked at me, a confused expression present upon her face.

"What was wrong anyways?" she asked me. Renée opened her mouth to respond, but I stopped her.

"For three days, my head, stomach, and heart had been hurting excessively. It was really bad tonight," Renée just gapped at me, in surprise.

"Do you know of anything that might have caused this?" she asked.

"No, not really. I just moved here from Forks, Washington."

"That might be it," she turned around to face Renée, "It's probably just stress from moving. It's hard on a child," my blood boiled at that. I was _not_ a child, I was thirteen, "Just let her adjust to Phoenix. If anything, it's just homesickness."

"Are you sure? What if-" the nurse cut her off.

"Did she have a fever? Nausea? Dizziness?" The nurse asked.

"Um, no… but-"

"Then I do believe that this discussion is over. Good-bye," with that, she shooed us away.

We were in the front lobby when I tripped on something and landed hard on my butt. The second time, in two days. Except this time, I landed on the hard tiled hospital floor, not the soft white carpeting of my room.

So in other words, ouch.

"What did I trip on today?" I mumbled sarcastically.

"My pen," said a soft sweet voice from above me.

"What?" I asked. I tilted my head upwards. Standing there was a pretty girl that looked to be about my age. She had dark brown hair that came just past her shoulders. She wore light jean capris and a baby blue V-neck shirt that accented her slim figure well. She was a smidge taller than the average height. But what really stood out at me were her green eyes.

This reminded me of Edward.

The girl giggled and extended her hand out to me. I grasped it, and she pulled me up to my feet. She then quickly bent down to where I was sitting just seconds ago, and dangled a purple pen from her hand.

"My pen. You tripped on my pen," she explained.

"Oh! Right! Sorry! I'm really clumsy. My mom and I were just leaving, so I probably wasn't looking where I was going and, well, yeah. I'm babbling, aren't I?" I asked sheepishly, feeling the hot blush appear on my cheeks.

The girl giggled again. "Yes, you are. And you really must be out of it, because the woman who you were walking with, went into the washrooms," she pointed to the right where the door labelled _Woman's Restroom _was. The blush on my cheeks grew even hotter.

The girl giggled again. "You blush a lot, don't you?" I faintly nodded my head, blushing even more at her remark. She extended her hand once again. "I'm Jessica. It's nice to meet you, um?"

"Bella. Nice to meet you too, Jessica," I took her hand and shook it gently. I quickly let go and let my hand flop down to my side.

"Bella," she said in a voice that sounded far away, "I like that name. It's sweet," she then seemed to snap out of her daydream, "Anyways, I'm here because my brother, Josh, should be coming out today. He broke his leg after jumping off of the fence. He was attempting a slam dunk with the basketball," under her breath, I heard her murmur, "Serves him right."

"Ouch," was all I could say.

"Why are you here, Bella?" She asked me.

"I was just feeling sick. But I feel much better now. I just moved here from Forks, Washington," I replied, then blushed, realising that I was still in my sweats and tank top. My hair probably looked like a dog had thought that it was his chew toy.

"Never heard of Forks. Is it small?"

"Very."

Jessica looked to her right, and then pulled a piece of paper out of her large white purse. She quickly scribbled something with her purple pen then handed it to me. On it, was a phone number.

"Here comes your mom. This is my phone number. Call me. Bye!" With that, she ran off, leaving me baffled.

"Who was that, Bella?" Renée asked.

"Jessica. She told me to call her. Is that alright?" I asked as we walked through the front doors of the hospital.

"Yes. That sounds lovely." With that, we drove home, exhausted.

The only good thing about today was that I had made a new friend.

**EPOV**

I opened my eyes, hoping to find something other than darkness.

But I saw a whole lot more.

**A/N: Duh, duh, duhhh! I hope that you liked that chapter! By the way, it NOT Jessica Stanley that Bella met. Just to let you know. I WILL NOT UPDATE UNTIL I RECEIVE 15 REVIEWS FOR THIS CHAPTER (hopefully that got your attention). So, if you want me to update, review, ****review****, REVIEW!!! **

**Peace!**


	11. New Life

**A/N: Wow. I got a great response from the last chapter. Thanks SO much for all of your reviews! I am SO glad that you liked it! By the way, you know how Bella tripped on a pen in the last chapter? Well, I actually DID that! I am a klutz, not dodging that one.**

***trumpets sound* Announcing chapter 11!**

**Disclaimer****: If anyone here has written the Twilight Saga, raise your hand! *looks around* No one? Good. Let's carry on!**

**Chapter 11**

**New Life**

**EPOV**

What I saw was my bedroom and my family.

They stood excruciatingly still, like statues or lawn gnomes. A shudder went down my spine. Ugh, I hated lawn gnomes. They creeped me out.

They continued to stand still. It almost seemed as though they weren't breathing. They looked even paler than before. They all seemed to glow with beauty that was incapable of any human being.

They seemed like aliens.

Minutes passed. Not a word. Just silence. But the silence was too loud, I felt as though my head would explode from it.

I gritted me teeth and clenched my fists into tight balls. I closed my eyes. I could feel my temper rising quickly. But I was a usually level-headed person.

What was happening to me?

_I think that he's getting mad. Should I grab him and hold him down? But wouldn't he be stronger than me?_

I opened my eyes rapidly. Everything was as it had been a few seconds ago. Still. No one blinked. No one's mouth twitched.

Then who talked?

_He's just sitting there. Why won't he do something? Pfft! Stupid newborn!_

Again, no one had spoken.

Was I going crazy?

No. I'm not going crazy. I'm dead. But then why am I here? In my bedroom? With my family?

_His emotions are fine. He just seems confused and curious. It's a good thing that he doesn't feel angry. It would hard to calm a newborn._

Again, no one spoke. I stared hard at my family. No one broke into a hysterical laughter. No one said, "Gotcha!", just silence.

This was beginning to drive me insane.

_I wonder why the serum didn't work. Will he have growing pains? Or has he growing stopped because the venom has carried through? Did his brain grow? So many questions!_

I couldn't take this anymore! A deep rumble escaped from my chest, sounding like a growl. This surprised me. I never knew that I could growl.

Everyone took a step back, eyes wide with fear. Why were they backing away from me? Why were they afraid of me?

_I hope that Esme returns back with Alice from hunting soon. Only Alice will be able to calm him down._

Argh!!!

"Will you please stop doing that?!" I hissed. They all replaced their looks of fear, with looks of confusion.

_What is he talking about?_

Four sets of voices shouted at me. I covered my ears.

Finally, Carlisle spoke up, "What's wrong Edward? What are we doing?" He asked with pure curiosity.

_This may be a side effect of the serum._

"STOP THAT!" I shouted through clenched teeth. I jumped off the bed and began to pace quickly back and forth.

_What is he doing?_

My head whipped around to face my family. They all looked extremely frightened.

I narrowed my eyes and another growl erupted from my chest. My family backed away another step.

I turned around to face the door. It was closed and locked. On the door was my mirror.

My eyes widened.

Staring back at me was a pale-skinned young man. But what surprised me the most was that his were blood red.

I turned around. I whispered in a tone barely audible, "What am I?"

**BPOV**

Over the last few weeks, Jessica and I have gotten to know each other quite well.

She loved to dance, and she really good at it too. She was really into fashion and talking about boys. She was really energetic, well, most of the time she was. It is _not_ fun to be in the same room when her brother is there with her. Not fun at all.

She's balanced, I'm a klutz. She loves fashion; I throw on the first thing that I find. She can dance, I have two left feet. She loves to shop, I go shopping three to four times a year. She loves boys in general, I have my eyes set on one. She's brave, I blush and shy away whenever someone I don't know, approaches me.

We weren't _exactly _similar. Yet, we are around each other 24/7. The reason? She reminded me a lot of Alice. Heck, if she cropped her hair, dyed it black, and was a foot shorter; she would be Alice's twin!

"Bella? _Bella_? Bella!" Jessica was practically shouting in my ear. I shook my head, clearing it and stared at Jessica with a confused expression. "Earth to Bella much?! You were staring at me strangely, _again_. What is up with you girl?" She asked.

"Sorry Jessica. It's nothing," I said quietly, my voice barely past a squeak. I quickly looked away, blushing furiously, embarrassed that she had caught me analyzing her, _again_.

"Okay, first of all, look at me when I am lecturing you," I slowly and sheepishly turned around to face. She had her 'I am not messing with you' look on. "Better. Second, call me Jess, not Jessica; you know me well enough to call me by my nickname," I nodded once, telling her that I understood. "And third, there is _something _going through that brain of yours, and I want to know what it is, missy," she finished. She meant business; whenever something or someone was annoying her, she _always_ meant business.

"Fine," I said. Her face looked like she had just won a great victory. She nodded to me, signalling for me to continue. "I was thinking about how you could my friend Alice's twin," I finished my confession and looked at expectantly.

Suddenly, she burst into a hysterical laughter. My face fell, and a blush crept up into my cheeks. "What?" I asked.

After she was able to control herself she looked at me, but burst into laughter again. A few minutes later, she had finally collected herself enough to tell me, "You mean that crazy one?" I nodded sheepishly. "Well, duh! Of course you would compare me to her. As soon as described her to me, I knew that she could be my clone! My mom is _always _saying that I'm like that," after that, we both fell into hysterical laughter. It _was _pretty funny.

Once we had stopped laughing, we headed to her kitchen for a snack.

I was staying over at her house for the night.

We put together a banana split and, well, split it. We talked about books, movies, music, and she talked about boys, informing me about all of the _hottest_ guys in school.

I really didn't care.

After a while she stopped babbling at me and stared at me with a worried expression.

"What?" I asked.

"You seem sad. As soon as I started mentioning boys, your face fell to the point where it almost hit the floor," she said, "I just kinda shrugged it off, but your face seemed glued to that expression… I got worried. What's wrong Bells?"

"It's… a boy," as soon as I confessed this, her eyes widened with excitement.

"You like a boy? Who?" She shot at me.

"A boy from my hometown. He was one of my best friends. But that's all that he would ever be, a friend," I confessed, my eyes flittering to my feet.

"Awww…. That is _so_ sweet!"

"That's not all, Jess. Right before I left, I- I kissed him."

"_No way_!" she commented, her eyes growing wide. I nodded my head. "I cannot _believe _that you did that! You go girl!" She clapped me hard on the back.

"I probably won't ever see him again though, Jess," I said, my voice filled with pain.

"Why?"

"Because, Jess, neither Alice nor Edward have called or e-mailed me since I've left, and they promised," My voice broke on the last word. I had been avoiding that for as long as I could. It killed me to accept it, but I was forced to. I was forced to move here. I was forced to accept that fact that my parents were not happily married anymore. I was forced to accept the fact that I had stupidly kissed Edward before I left. Why shouldn't I accept this too?

"Is this true Bells?" she asked, her voice leaking with concern.

By this time, tears were flowing freely from my eyes. When I opened my mouth to answer her, I choked on my tears. I just nodded in response It was hard to breathe because I was crying so much. Really I shouldn't be crying so much. My life was good. I had parents, a roof over my head, food to eat, water to drink.

But, does when your heart is feeling like it's breaking in two count for having a hard life?

"I know that you can't forget them Bella. I know that you won't ever be able to forget their betrayal. But you have to forget them, Bella. It's the best for you. Trust me," I nodded. She placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. I looked up at her. Her smile was genuine. "I'll be Alice if you want me to be, Bella," I smiled back at her. She hugged me softly.

I had to forget them.

For now, I had to focus on my new life.

**A/N: Did you like it? Tell me your thoughts is a REVIEW. You guys did SO great last chapter, I'm raising the reviews needed for the next chapter to 25 reviews. I know that you guys can do it! Thanks!**

**P.S. SUMMER!!! I am FREE for 2 months. You know what that means… MORE UPDATES!!!**

**Peace!**


	12. The Shoebox

**A/N: I am FINALLY able to access the computer! SO sorry for the delay! My sister would not get off of the computer! Thanks for the reviews! I didn't get as many reviews as I was hoping for… but oh well! It was still a good number! **

**Give it up for chapter 12! (psst! This is the part where you clap.)**

**Disclaimer: Me? Stephanie Meyer? Seriously? Wow! You people make me laugh!**

**Chapter 12**

**The Shoebox**

_**Four years later….**_

**BPOV**

My ears are filled with the piercing screams of young children. Everywhere I look, there is chaos. Food is continually being thrown over my head. Scrunched up paper is slowly turning into a small mountain on my lap.

This is my bus.

I am trying to concentrate on reading Pride & Prejudice but it isn't working. I decide to close my book. I don't want it to be the next victim of the paper wad brigade.

I turn my head to face Jessica. She's staring out of the window with her ipod ear buds inserted deeply into her ears. I can hear Katy Perry's _Hot n' Cold _from where I am sitting, meaning that she has it on full blast.

Smart girl.

"Jess?" I receive no response from her. She just continues to bob her head slightly to the music. "_Jess? _JESS!" I raise my voice over the noise of the bus. Immediately, everyones' heads turn my way. I blush a bright red and sink far down into my seat. Their eyes linger for a few moments, then return to whatever they were doing before.

I groan and squeeze my eyes shut, as though by shutting out the world, I would disappear. Unfortunately, I'm not that lucky.

I remember my friend sitting next to me and reluctantly open my eyes. I notice a few people, mostly freshmen, still staring at me. I glare at them, and they immediately turn away. Then I turn to my friend, who is still staring out of the window, oblivious to my recent shouting. I sigh angrily, and poke her shoulder with force.

"Ow!" she turns to me and pulls out her ear buds. "What was that for Bells? That actually hurt," she rubs her shoulder to prove her point. I instantly feel bad and start to apologize repeatedly. She rolls her eyes and starts to shush me. I persist. She eventually clamps her hand over my mouth and lifts her eyebrows in question. "You done yet?" I nod my head and she removes her hand from my mouth. "Good. Now, what was it that you wanted that you had to poke me so hard for?"

I blush and move my eyes towards the grimy floor. "I just wanted to thank you for helping me with this," I whisper.

"Well, you didn't have poke me just to tell me that. I mean, honestly, I would have done this for you any day. I just wish that it didn't have to happen so soon," she rushes the last part in a way that sounds as though she's talking to herself. No matter how quiet and rushed it was, I hear it anyways.

I smile gently and give my best friend a hug. She hugs me back and we just sit there for a few minutes, hugging. Finally, I open my mouth, "Thanks again, Jess. You're my best friend."

She draws back from the hug and looks at me, a tear escaping from the corner of her eye, "And don't you ever forget about it!" She threatens. I laugh lightly.

Then the bus rolls to a stop at my house and we walk off together. Bella and Jessica. Best friends forever.

I hope. 

I stop digging through the mountain high pile of shirts that is beside my bed, and look up to see Jess knee deep in my pants. She continues to pick up various pairs of pants, and usually cringing, then dropping them as though they were infected with some horrible disease. I giggle at this. Her eyebrows knight together in a disapproving frown. Finally, she turns her head towards me. "Honestly, Bella. Don't you own a single pair of shorts?" I shake my head. Her frown deepens and she turns back to her work, mumbling under her breath.

I sigh and shake my head. Same old Jessica.

"Ugh!" Jessica's high-pitched screech fills my ears. I whip my head my head around. Jessica is staring down at the pile of pants, a horrified expression present on her face. She's clutching her shirt, where her heart is, tightly, as though it would protect herself from the beast lying within my pile of pants; which in this case, is probably just a beetle. Either way, I rush over to her side, stumbling and nearly falling flat on my face. I quickly grasp the edge of my honey-coloured wooden desk and steady myself.

"What is it Jess?!" I practically shout in her ear. Her horrified expression swiftly changes to one of anger. She bends down and grabs an article of clothing.

"Really, Bella. Cargo pants?!" She lectures me. I just stare at her for a minute, flabbergasted. Then, I let out a roaring laugh.

Yep, same old Jess.

Jessica just stares at me. After I am able to regain myself, I start to head to my bedroom door. I look over my shoulder.

"Hey Jess, would you like some pound cake with strawberry sauce and whipped cream?" I ask her. Her confused look is immediately replaced by hunger. Cake is her _favourite_ food. Her eyes brighten in a wild crazy way that only she could possess.

Well, her and, Alice.

Well, there goes my good mood.

"Do you even need to ask?" she states to me in a sing-song voice. I force a laugh, which sounds fake, even to me. Jessica's eyebrow cocks up in question, but I rush out quickly before I can be interrogated.

I quickly prepare our snacks, knowing that if I don't hurry, I'll be forced to face a cake-crazed Jessica. And I definitely don't want _that_.

As we are eating our cake, a thought pops into my head.

"Hey, Jess?"

She looks up at me, her face covered in a mix of strawberry sauce and whipped cream. "Whap?" She asks with a full mouth. I giggle at her immaturity.

"Do you remember that shoebox that I saved from my fourteenth birthday party?" She nods as she chews then swallows. "Yeah, why did you do that anyway?"

"Well, it's my memory box now. I store my memories in there. Stuff like photos, knickknacks, and ribbons," I answer her question.

"Yeah, so?"

"Want to go check it out?" She nods her head in excitement. A large smile graces my face and excitement courses through my veins. I loved to look over my memories. It was calming to me.

We hurry to my closet, which has now been emptied, and pulled out an old shoe box from the back. I had painted it a light blue and had bedazzled it. There were white gems, blue gems, pink gems, and purple gems. They were placed all around the edges of the old shoe box. Behind me, I hear Jessica gasp.

"It's so pretty Bells! Did you do this?" She exclaimed. I bob my head up and down. I place my hand over the lid of the box, and slowly open it. Inside were my memories.

I smile softly as I gently lifted a picture from the box. It was a photo of my first Halloween here. Renée had taken it in front of our house. I was dressed as a veterinarian. I wore a white science lab coat, a stethoscope, and held a fake kitten in my arms. Jessica was dressed as…

Alice.

She had worn a short, spiky, black wig, which she had complained a lot about. Apparently it had been extremely itchy. She also wore a pair of designer jeans, a white lacy blouse, and a sleek little black vest that fitted her very nicely. She said that she seen the outfit on some movie and fell in love with it instantly.

I can feel tears welling up in my eyes threatening to escape. I quickly place the picture back and search through the other memories. A ribbon and a certificate for a poetry contest, the friendship bracelet that Jess had made me, a key chain in the shape of a panda bear from Jess' fourteenth birthday party, and many other things that resembled a the Phoenix portion of my life.

"Wow Bells. You really do keep everything," Jess awes at my memory box. "Can I see it?" She asks. I nod and pass the bedazzled shoe box to her awaiting arms.

I turn to face my vacant closet again. Behind me, I can hear Jess rummaging through my memories.

No, more like _our_ memories.

As I scan my bare closet, I notice a slight glimmer from the far left corner. I cock my eyebrow up in question and reach in. For some odd, unexplainable reason I have the creeping feeling that my hands will touch some sort of horrific monster.

It's worse.

My hands touch a hard, cardboard like surface. I grope around for a holding, finding the edge. I slowly pull it out, my curiosity overflowing. When the item that I've discovered comes into the light of my room, I gasp. My hand flies over my mouth and my eyes begin to water.

"What is it, Bells?" Jess asks, worriedly. She moves her head in the direction where my teary eyes are pointed. "Another shoe box?"

I nod. I lift my hand from my mouth and place it on the lid of the shoe box, tracing the patterns. It is indeed another one of my shoe boxes, but a much different one.

It was my memory box from Forks. My other life. The life that abandoned me.

I had painted the boxes exterior and interior a pitch black. It reminds me of the night, which has always, oddly, comforted me. On the lid of the box are swirls and patterns of midnight blue and emerald green gems; my two favourite colours. Compared to my other memory box, it was very simple, but it held so much more.

"Well open it! I want to see what's in here!" Jess squeals from behind me. Suddenly, her voice is sounding a lot like Alice's. I swallow the lump that's forming in my throat. My mouth feels very dry. I haven't looked inside this box since I moved here. I had just shoved it into the very back of my closet, wishing to forget it forever.

I reluctantly open the lid. A tear escapes my eye and slides down my face and into my mouth, giving me the salty taste on my taste buds. I swallow hard.

Inside, is my life from Forks. My baby book, old crafts including a tie-dye T-shirt from Alice's eleventh birthday party, a hand-made photo album, a chip of my old arm cast that was covered with signatures from the time when I fell off of Emmett's back, some c.d's, and other knickknacks.

I picked up the old photo album. It's a warm brown colour, with a compressed golden coloured flower glued to the far top left corner. The binding was made of a brown string that is fraying as I lightly stroke it. The pages were thinning and cracking like dry cement. But the pictures resurface old memories.

I carefully flip through the pages, stopping at each to cherish the happy memories. They range from when I was a little toddler, to when I was thirteen. Half of the pictures are of me and Alice. The other pictures from my later years in Forks included Edward, Emmett, Jasper, Rosalie, Charlie, and Renée. I feel as though I am flashing through an old movie of my life.

"Awww! You were so cute when you were a baby!" I hear a high-pitched sueal from beside me. I jump from the surprise. I forgot that Jessica was sitting right beside me. Jessica doesn't notice my little surprise attack, and continues to babble on about how cute I was when I was a baby, "Wook at those cute wittle eyes!" She cooes as though she's talking to her two-year old niece, "And that nose! It's wike a wittle button!" She suddenly turns to me and looks me up and down, a disgusted look on her face. "What happened?" She remarks sarcastically. I smile at her and playfully push her shoulder. She starts to giggle as though she's won a victorious battle. She sets down my baby book back into my shoe box.

I sigh, then place my old photo album back into my shoe box. I close the lid then turn to Jess. "Well, enough diddle-daddling, back to sorting," I command. Jess groans but trudges back to the sea of pants.

"Fine. But if I see one more pair of cargo pants, I'm outta' here!" She states, crossing her arms over her chest. I giggle and agree.

The next day, I wake up to an annoying repetitive beeping noise. I groan and turn over in my bed. I cover my head with my pale blue blanket but the beeping noise doesn't desist. I groan again and reach over to where my night stand is. I grope around until I find the source of the beeping noise. I clench my fist and come down on the source with force. The beeping immediately stops.

I hear Jessica stirring from beside me on the pull out cot. "You _do _realise that you just destroyed your alarm clock?" She mumbles.

My reply comes out raspy and dry, "It won't matter soon anyways."

Jessica giggles in reply, "Yeah, that's true."

I check my watch. I gasp in surprise. It's 6:30 a.m. I throw my blankets off of me and jump out of bed. I rush to my closet, now full to capacity yet again. I search frantically for some decent clothing. I pull out an old pair of pants and a mustard-stained T-shirt. I yank off my pyjamas and throw on my clothes. I turn to see if Jessica's ready yet.

She's still in bed. My eyebrows knight together in disapproval. The corners of my mouth pull down into a frown. "Wake up Jess! Renée is going to wake up soon!" I whisper harshly at her. She groans.

"But I'm tired!" She whines, "And I'm comfy!"

I sigh in annoyance and walk over to where Jess is lazily lying. "Get up," I command. She groans and covers her head with the spare blanket. "Get up," I command again.

"No," she replies stubbornly.

An idea strikes me. "Fine. But you asked for it."

"Asked for what?"

_This_. I quickly grab the edge of the cot and, with just enough force, I lift the cot to the side. Gravity takes care of the rest. Jessica is forcefully flipped out of the cot and onto the ground. She screams pierce the room.

By the time she gathers herself off of the floor, I am rolling on the ground, laughing my butt off. She is glaring daggers at me, wisps of her brown hair hanging in front of her scowling face.

"I _thought_ that we were trying to get past Renée _without_ waking her up!" She whispers harshly to me. I stop laughing immediately. I glare at Jessica.

"Well thanks for ruining my morning, Jess," I tell her. She rolls her eyes and crosses her arms across her chest.

"Yeah, _I'm_ who ruined _your_ morning," she says sarcastically.

"Just get changed," I say in reply. I chuck her set of clothes at her. She glares at me once more before heading into the bathroom to change and apply her makeup.

By the time that she's done, I've made a couple of pancakes for us. She enters the kitchen with her nose high in the air. She takes a glance at where the pancakes are, and immediately dives in. At the end, there is no evidence left that there were ever any pancakes on the plate, except for a large pool of syrup.

"Okay, you're forgiven," Jess says after she's finished her last bite. I chuckle at her reaction to my pancakes.

"They're just pancakes, Jess," after I've said this, Jess stares at me, wide-eyed, as though I'm crazy.

"Just pancakes? Are you crazy?! They're pan_cakes_! They're just a thinner form of cake. Don't you understand me at all?" I sigh and shake my head. I lift myself from my seat and place our dirty dishes into the sink.

I hear a gasp from behind me. I whirl around, my ponytail whipping me in the face. I notice Jessica staring at me, horrified. "What?!" I ask, frightened.

"You're wearing CARGO PANTS?! How many times do I have to tell you to throw those out?!" Jessica lectures me. I look down at my pants only to realise what I'd thrown on earlier this morning. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

I look up to meet Jessica's threatening eyes. "Um… oopsy?" I say innocently while shrugging.

"Oopsy?" Jess replies in question, staring me down.

"Um… oopsy _daisy_?" I try again. Jess throws her hands up in the as in defeat. She stomps to my bedroom and comes back a minute later with my knee-length black flowing skirt and fitted white blouse.

"Put these on," Jess commands me as she throws my clothes at me.

"But Jess, I only wear these on special occasions, you know that."

"Yes, but you already dragged me into your scheme, so I'm going to drag you into those clothes, whether you like it or not."

"Fine," I give in. "But why does it matter what I wear?" I question her. Jess rolls her eyes.

"Because you might as well look stylish while doing this. Plus, I will _not_ be seen with you if you wear those pants," she answers while gesturing to the famous cargo pants.

"But I'm just-" I begin to say but am cut off by Jess. She holds up her hand to stop me.

"Enough 'buts'. Get changed."

I grumble as I change. I have to get going before Renée wakes up. And the fashion police aren't helping me.

Once I am finished changing, I hear a horn from outside my house. I quickly grab my backpack and rush to the living room, where Jess is waiting at the front door.

"Hurry up," she says whispers hurriedly. Oh sure, _now_ she decides to be quiet. "Our rides here!" I nod and quickly slip on my black flats. Jess opens up the front door and steps outside. I follow her. I am almost across the threshold when I hear a stern voice from behind me.

"Hold it right there missy," Renée orders me. I stop mid-step and turn around to face my mother. Her hair is a tangled mess, she has bags under her eyes, and her pink satin robe is half off of her right shoulder. It's quite obvious that she _just_ woke up. "And where do you think you're going at 7:00 in the morning?" She questions me threateningly. I gulp. Behind me, I hear a horn honk. I glance over my shoulder to see Jess and her older sister, Rachel, waiting impatiently in her car. I hold up a finger to them to signal them to wait a minute. Then I face Renée again.

I take a deep breath and begin, "Mom, I'm staying with one of my friends for a while."

Renée's eyes narrow into slits. "Who? And why?"

I open my mouth to finish my lie, but no words come out. _I can't do this. _I decide to tell Renée the truth. "I'm moving back to Forks, mom. I'm going to live with Charlie," Renée's face turns to one of utter surprise. I continue, "I found out that in a divorce, the court decides which parent should take custody over the child. This will be established according to parent/child relationships, responsibility, also somewhat on the child's wishes. As the child matures, their decision is taken more into consideration, such as when the child becomes an older teen," I notice that the colour drains from Renée's face. "I didn't know this, did you?" Renée's eyes flicker to the floor in shame. I shake my head in disappointment. "I trusted you mom, and you let me down. I love you, but I am furious with you at the moment. I need some time to think and I need to be away from you in order to do that. Good-bye mom," I finish.

With that, I turn around and head out the door. I crawl into Rachel's car and buckle in. As soon as my house isn't in sight anymore, I cry. Jess holds me and comforts me for the entire ride to the airport.

I take my seat in the airplane and buckle in. I stare out the window and see Jess and Rachel standing in the waiting area looking up at my plane. Even from here, I see the wet streak marks from many tears.

I am leaving my best friend in hopes that my old life will accept me with open arms.

_I really hope this doesn't backfire_ I think as the plane starts its slow ascent into the sky. I watch as my new life fades away.

Or is it really my old life?

A tear escapes from my eye and falls down my cheek.

**A/N: Awww… so sad. I hope that you liked that chapter. It's the longest one that I've ever written. I need 15 reviews before I can update! **

**Remember, that little button's waiting.**

**Peace!**


	13. Welcome Home?

**A/N: Sorry for the wait! I was busy these past 2 weeks, and didn't have that much time to write. I was slightly disappointed with the response from the last chapter… it was, after all, the longest chapter that I've written so far. I only need 2 more reviews until I hit 100!!! Yay!**

_**Disclaimer:**_** Well… I'm not a red-headed mother raising 3 kids who is a multi-millionaire… you do the math.**

**Chapter 13**

**Welcome Home?**

**BPOV**

I had lost count of the time long ago. The whole plane ride was a blur. I seemed to recall a screaming baby and a little boy pulling my hair from behind me, but I didn't care. I was too nervous.

I had called Charlie the day before, but he hadn't answered. I had no idea if I was expected or not.

Due to this fact, I was unable to eat or sleep the entire plane ride, and I was just beginning to notice the effects when I stepped off of the plane. My stomach growled and my brain threatened to pull me into unconsciousness. My legs felt like jelly, lowering my balance meter by a considerable amount. I grasped tightly onto a chair to steady myself. I was dizzy with sleep and my head throbbed.

My second plane ride had been as bad as the first. I guessed that planes were just not my forte.

I stumbled.

_At all._

I shook my head to clear it of sleepiness and doubt. It didn't help, but I continued toward the baggage claim anyhow. It took awhile to spot my black suitcase among all of the _other_ black suitcases, but I found it eventually.

I made my way outside and fished out my cell phone from my pocket. I checked my screen, but there were no missed calls. I sighed heavily and looked around me for a taxi. I spotted one, and waved it over. When it stopped in front of me, I suddenly felt a cold wetness soak me. I shrieked and stepped back in surprise. I looked down my clothes. They were soaked with puddle water.

"Uh, look lady; I don't think that I should let you in looking like that. You'd get mud all over the seats," said the middle-aged balding man from behind the wheel. I knew right off that I would _not_ be enjoying this car ride. I glared at the man and tried to put as much fierceness as I could into my wavering voice.

"Look buddy," I growled. The man jumped back slightly in his seat. Feeling victorious, I continued. "I just took a plane ride from Phoenix to here in order to get away from my mother who's been lying to me for the past four years. I haven't eaten or slept in hours. Top that with the fact that _you _were the person who just sprayed me with dirty rain water; I'm not so happy at the moment. So you _please_ just give me a ride to Forks?!" My hands were clenched into tight balls by the end of my little speech. The man seemed to shrink back into his seat. He nodded vigorously. I opened the trunk, threw in my suitcase and hopped into the cab. I instructed the driver on where to go and then we were off.

**EPOV**

Something was up with Alice.

It was obvious. She kept thinking the song _I'm A Little Teapot_ in her head. It had been going on for two-and-a-half days now.

I was about ready to burst.

_I'm a little teapot._

_Short and stout._

_Here is my handle._

_Here is my spout._

_When I get all steamed up, hear me shout!_

_Just tip me over, and pour me out!_

_I'm a little teapot._

_Short and stout._

_Here is my handle._

_Here is my spout._

_When I get all steamed up, here me-_

I couldn't take it anymore!

"Alice!" I shouted. "Will stop thinking that song! It's giving me a migraine!" Alice just turned to me, and smiled sweetly.

Oh how that smile sickened me!

"Oh, but dear Eddie, we can't get migraines, remember?" She finished with a bell-like giggle.

I ground my teeth together and slowly counted to ten inside my head. I took a deep breath and clamed myself. I picked up my book _The Life and Death of Beethoven_, and began to read again.

It was quiet for a few moments, but then…

_I'm a little teapot._

_Short and st-_

"ALICE!" I shouted. "Will you stop that infernal racket!" Alice's face scrunched up in annoyance. Like _she _was the one being annoyed.

"Well, Edward, if you hate that song so much, maybe you should try giving my thoughts a _little _privacy!" She came back at me, full force.

I stood up from my seat on the soft couch in one fair _swoop_. "Well, then maybe _you_ should stop keeping whatever you're trying to hide from me!" I practically spat in her face.

"Well, maybe _you _should consider the fact that I need my privacy as much as you do!" She poked me in the chest, hard.

"_Alice,_" I growled. She was beginning to push me over the edge. The next moment, there was a person standing in between us. "Jasper," I said. I straightened up.

Jasper just stood there, in a defensive position, glaring at me.

"What?" I asked in my innocent voice.

"_Don't,_" he hissed at me. My face fell into a frown. I stalked off into the kitchen, a habit I haven't been able to break yet. In the living room, I heard Alice giggle in delight.

"Oh Jasper! You're so brave!" she exclaimed in a whisper even though she knew that I could hear her. I snorted, but back-tracked just so that I was able to sneak a peek from around the corner.

What I saw made my heart ache.

I didn't like to admit it, but it was true. When I glanced around the corner I saw that Alice had her arms thrown around Jasper. He held his arms around her waist gently. They were just gazing into each others eyes. I know that it sounded all mushy and stupid, but it was true. The way that they looked at each other was something that I couldn't describe. All I knew was that it was the look of true love.

It hurt so much that I had to look away as soon as my eyes had settled on them.

I rushed up into my room and cranked up my stereo. My favourite song flooded my ears. It was _Claire De Lune _ by Debussy. I flopped down on my couch and closed my eyes, enveloped in the music and my thoughts.

I still remembered the day when Alice and I woke up from burning.

_Flashback_

_Everyone just stood there, frightened. I took a step towards them, and they all backed away at the same time. Why were they frightened of me? What had I done? _

_My hearing picked up the snap of something. It sounded like a twig, but I couldn't be sure. I immediately got into a low crouch, my hands in front of me defensively. I clenched my teeth and heard a rippling snare escape from my lips. I was ready to fight._

_Suddenly, there was someone beside me. This surprised me, but I didn't show it. Instead, I turned ninety degrees and faced my opponent._

_It was Alice._

_I dropped my hands immediately and straightened myself up. I didn't need to be teased by Alice that I was a freak. I got that enough from Emmett._

_Instead of the sly smirking that I usually received from Alice, she was staring at me with pity filled eyes. She reached out a hand and laid it gently on my shoulder as though she meant it to be a comforting gesture. I shrugged it off and stared at her in confusion. She sighed tiredly and led me to my bed. She glared at the rest of our family who were still standing there like dumb-struck cavemen. They hurried off, leaving us alone._

_She turned to face me with her pity-filled eyes. For some odd reason, rage boiled inside me. _

Now, how to explain this.

_Came the voice that I knew was Alice's. Yet, her mouth had never opened. _

_My rage bubbled over. I rose quickly from my bed and crossed my room, as far from Alice as possible. Her eyes were glazed over with worry._

_"Edward, are you okay?"_

_"Okay? Okay?! What do you think Alice? My eyes are blood red, my skin is almost snow white, I _growled_, I am hearing _voices _in my head, Alice. Voices! And, my family is afraid of me, Alice, and I have absolutely _no_ clue as to why!" I practically shouted._

_"Edward I-" Alice began, but I cut her off._

_"And to top it all off, _you_, of all people, are trying to comfort me! You _never_ try to comfort me!" That did it. Alice's expression changed from worried to pure anger in a millisecond. She leapt off of the side of my bed and was in front of me in a split second. She was poking one of her puny fingers into my chest, hard. I stepped back under the pressure, backing into the wall in the process._

_"I can to be comforting! And don't you think that I'm scared too?! I-"_

_"Scared? I am _not_ scared!" _

_"Oh really? Cause you're looking pretty scared to me!"_

_"Oh, yes you are! How _would _you feel after you were just turned into a vampire?! Pretty scar-" I cut her off again._

_"I'm a what?" I whispered in a barely audible voice, but somehow, I knew that she heard me. _

_Alice took a deep breath. She stared directly into my eyes. "_We're _vampires," she answered._

_If I could, I would have passed out, but my body wouldn't let me. I took a deep, staggering breath, but my lungs felt empty. I had no need to breathe, to blink, to sleep, to eat…_

_I was suddenly aware of tightness in my throat that wouldn't leave. It burned my throat with a deep thirst. I clutched my throat._

_…But I did need to drink._

_Blood._

_I was a monster, forever._

_End Flashback_

My life had changed that day, forever. I remembered the struggles to control my thirst, the realization that ice cream now tasted like dirt, the hurt of being forced to leave all of my friends behind for their protection.

For the first two years, Alice and I were home schooled. But, during freshmen year, Carlisle had declared that Alice and I had progressed rapidly in control, and were allowed to attend Forks High School. My joy had been infinite, until I walked into the cafeteria. The smell had overwhelmed me and I was forced to 'run' into a stall in the boys' room. I had complete control now, but all of my old friends had isolated me. I only hung out with Alice and the rest of the 'Cullen kids' now.

Oh, and Jasper and Alice had gotten together. In fact, they were married. I had a _very_ hard time adjusting to _that_ one. I had almost killed Jasper, the first time that I saw him kiss her. Everybody had been furious at me for about two months. Why? Well, it was at their wedding….

I wasn't really good with first impressions.

I grimaced at the memory. Ever since I had been turned into a blood-thirsty monster, everything had become vividly clear. Every memory from my new life, I could relive them if I wanted to. Every touch, smell, sound, taste, emotion, image ran through my head like a movie that kept repeating itself.

Yet, I couldn't remember any specific details of my human life.

None of us could. No one knew why either. Well, Carlisle had this theory that being turned was like being reborn. Honestly, I didn't really care anymore. At the time, I used to spend months, just trying to remember anything from my human life. Sure, I remembered people and general places, but never any specifics.

Ever since I was abandoned by my old so-called 'friends', I hadn't wished to remember my human years anymore.

Especially any of Isabella.

They had told me about the car ride that had led to this conclusion. When I had asked why we were driving from the airport they had told me. I still remembered, as though it had happened yesterday, the hurt and the tearless sobs.

She had been my best friend. _That _I remembered. But I was forced to stop contacting her, for her safety; same with Alice. I hadn't spoken to her in four years.

I struggled to remember _anything _about her. My mind grew hazy. I tried for several hours.

Nothing.

I ground my teeth and gabbed one of my many journals. I chucked it at my window. It shattered into a million pieces.

I smiled to myself, pleased with my work. Or, at least I was, until I heard Esme's motherly voice call up from the living room. It took on a stern tone.

"Edward! Get down here please!"

I grimaced, knowing that I had been caught. And I was in trouble. _Big _trouble.

Crap.

**BPOV**

Finally, we arrived in front of my house.

I smiled in the pleasant memories that filled my head. My vision began to blur at the edges. I blinked rapidly to get rid of the threatening tears. I needed to continue with my little act until I was inside. I didn't need to have _this_ guy think that I was wimp too.

"Here we are miss," the cab driver stated sheepishly with a trace of fear in his voice. That made me feel empowered.

"Thank-you," I replied. I crawled out of the cab and retrieved my suitcase from the trunk. I paid the driver then watched him drive away in the misty rain.

I slowly turned around and faced my old house. A faint glow was being emitted from the living room window. I seemed to shine in the darkness that was being cast from the dark, looming storm clouds above. I checked my watch; it was only four o'clock in the afternoon.

I walked up to the front door. I hadn't been here in four years. I glanced down to see the same 'welcome' matt that had been here since I was two. The scratchy wool was fraying, as well as the colour.

I smiled, and then raised my head to the door. I brought my hand to the front door and rapped my knuckles on its aged wood, lightly.

I heard the faint creaking of Charlie's recliner, as he got up. I heard him mumbling to himself. I heard the squeaking of the floor boards.

I closed my eyes when I heard these familiar sounds. Images of my childhood flashed from behind my eyelids. I opened them again when I heard the door knob being turned, and the door opened.

Then, there in front of my eyes, was Charlie. His expression was one of utter surprise. He stammered when he opened his mouth into a perfect 'O'. He blinked rapidly, as though trying to convince himself that I was actually standing there, in front of him. Finally, whole words escaped his mouth.

"Bella?" He breathed.

I couldn't help it. My lips parted into a huge, goofy grin. I threw my arms around his neck and nestled my head into his shoulder.

"Daddy!" I cried. I pulled away.

Charlie's eyebrows knight together, confused. "Bella? What are you _doing_ here?" He asked me.

"I came back home, Dad!" I squealed. The answer was so simple.

His shocked expression turned down into one of disapproved. His mouth pulled down at the corners. "But your home is in Phoenix," he stated blankly.

His response shocked me so much that I took a step back. I was expecting a warm welcome, maybe even a smile. But I got nothing. I got the opposite. My vision blurred. I felt my chest compact as a sob broke free. My lips quivered.

Charlie's eyes flashed parental worry. He put a comforting hand on the small of my back. He pushed me gently inside. "Don't cry Bells," he pleaded. "I'm just surprised is all. How about we talk about this over dinner? You look tired. What happened to you? You look horrible!"

So much for Jess' attempts at making me look stylish. I nodded.

"Okay, then. Um, you know where everything is. All of your stuff is still in your old bedroom. You can sleep there. You can take a shower. Meanwhile, I'll, uh, order pizza. You're good with cheese, right?" I nodded. "Okay. Oh! You're good with _pizza_, right?" I nodded again. Charlie's attempts to be a responsible parent warmed me. He walked off into the kitchen without another word.

I stalked up the rickety, old stairs, my suitcase trailed heavily behind me. I entered my old bedroom. I threw on the light, which flickered in protest. I scanned the room. It was still the same. There were my hand-drawn pictures that hung on the bulletin board. There was my old bad, with the same old purple blankets.

I threw my suitcase on the bed. I opened it up and withdrew a pair of old gray sweats and a black T-shirt. I also grabbed my shower things, and then headed into the bathroom.

I started up the shower. I turned back and looked into the streaky mirror. I was a _mess_! My blouse was rumpled and still slightly wet from the puddle water. My skirt had brownish coloured patches from the puddle and was twisted to the side. My hair was knotted from lack of sleep, making it look like a massive, brown bush. My eyes had large purple, prominent bags under them. My eyebrows seemed to be permanently pulled down together. I had tear-streaks all the way down my face.

On top of all that, my stomach growled loudly, like a whining child.

"_Shut up_!" I snapped at it.

After my, long, warm shower, I changed into my comfy clothes and headed back into my old bedroom. I placed my toilettes on top of my desk. It had been a birthday present for me when I turned ten. It was made of dark oak and came up to about my waist. I let my hand run over the smooth, wooden surface.

I decided to empty my things from my suitcase. It wasn't very big, so I was unable to bring many of my clothes; not that Jessica would have let me bring half of my wardrobe. I had brought along a pair of dark-wash jeans, three t-shirts, a dark blue sweater, and necessities. For personal items, I had brought P-bear (my panda bear stuffy), five of my favourite books, my journal, and my Phoenix shoe box. I had brought my Forks shoe box as my carry-on bag.

I unpacked my suitcase then flopped down onto my bed. I needed time to breathe. I clutched P-bear tightly in my arms.

I found my eyelids beginning to droop. I yawned and curled up into a tight ball. I felt myself slipping into unconsciousness. It felt safe and warm, familiar.

_I would deal with the world tomorrow, _I told myself.

I let sleep envelop me.

**A/N: Can I get at least 10 reviews for this chappie? Please? Pretty please, with Edward on top? Hope that you all enjoyed that chapter! Peace!**

**P.S. Remember to press that little button! It's begging you to! :D**


	14. Starting All Over Again

**A/N: Not much to say… except that my cousin had her baby! Yay! I can't WAIT to see him! Oh, and please enjoy this chapter! :D**

_**Disclaimer: **_** Well, I **_**really**_** don't think that Stephenie Meyer is a teenager… so let's carry on!**

**Chapter 14**

**Starting All Over… Again**

**BPOV**

I woke up to the sound of rain being splashed onto my window. I reluctantly opened my eyes and stared at the digital clock. The numbers read eight o'clock a.m. I groaned and turned over.

Then my mind snapped. Eight o'clock? I was going to be late for school! I had already missed the bus. No, no, no, this _can't_ be happening!

I threw off my blankets hastily and dug into my closet. I found my favourite pair of jeans and a dark blue blouse. I then rushed into the bathroom and brushed my hair and teeth.

I was half-way down the stairs when it hit me. Stairs? My house didn't have stairs. That's when I remembered everything that had happened yesterday. It hadn't quite sunk in yet, so I was taken aback by my surroundings.

The rickety old staircase. The fading wallpaper. The sound of a rerun baseball game coming from the living room.

I calmly went down the stairs and entered the living room. It looked just like it had four years ago. The same T.V set, couch, recliner and…

Charlie.

At my non-graceful entrance, he peeled his eyes off from the T.V and turned them to me. He was wearing a red flannel shirt and worn out jeans.

"Morning Bells," he said in a way that made it sound like I had never left. I expected at any moment that Renée would waltz out from the kitchen, with toast and scrambled eggs made. But that never happened. "How are you doing? Good sleep?" He asked casually, his eyes flitting quickly to the T.V.

"I'm fine. Good sleep," I replied. There was awkward silence for a minute. I stared down at the ground, playing around with my shirt buttons.

"Look Bella, about what happened yesterday-"

"Um, Dad," I said, cutting him off. "Could we talk about this later? I have to go to, um, school," I said looking up at him expectantly. In truth, I had completely forgotten about school. I had to be enrolled still. Any other teenager would think that I was lucky, but I cared about getting a good education.

"Don't worry about it Bells. I took care of everything for you last night. You're enrolled in Forks High School now," he said, answering my unspoken question. Charlie knew me well.

He returned his gaze to the T.V, my signal to go. I went into the kitchen and opened up the fridge. There was hardly anything there, but nonetheless, I searched for some eggs. There were none. Disappointed, I searched the cupboards, finding only snacks and a few cereal boxes. I chose Cheerios and poured them into a bowl with milk. I quickly ate my breakfast, and then headed back upstairs to grab my backpack.

I slipped on my shoes and opened up the front door, only to be splat in the face by a chilling rain. I quickly closed the door. After scrounging up my rain jacket, I braced myself for the cold. Right before I was about to open up the door, Charlie called to me from the living room.

"Need a ride?" He asked. I smiled, knowing that he was trying his best to be a responsible parent. Then I remembered the few times that I had ridden to school with him in the cruiser. My smile vanished.

"No, I'll just walk," I replied. I didn't give him any time to argue, because I was already out the door ands walking to school.

I checked my watch. It was eight ten. Knowing how approximately long the walk would be, I quickened my pace. I did _not_ need to be late for my first day of school at Forks High.

By the time I had reached the school, I was panting from sprinting the last half there. It was now eight twenty-seven.

I was standing in front of the office, catching my breath. I then entered the warm office. It was small compared to the one at my old school in Phoenix. I looked around. There were several posters advertising teamwork and the benefits of hard work. There were also a few on the school's team, the Spartans.

"May I help you?" The voice of an elderly looking woman from behind the desk said. She was smiling at me in a friendly manner. I smiled back at her warmly before answering.

"Yes. I'm Bella Swan. I'm new here," I replied. Immediately, the woman's expression turned from friendly to recognition.

"You're Chief Swan's daughter?" I nodded. "Well, then, welcome back to Forks! Here, just let me get a spare class sheet," she went on to searching in the desk drawers. "Ah!" She exclaimed, with an air of triumph. "Here we are!" She handed me the slip of paper and a small map of the school grounds. "There you go. Do you need any help in finding your first class?"

"No," I replied. "But thanks. I think that I'll be fine," I said as I walked out into the hallway. I glanced at my class schedule. My first class was English. I looked down at my map for reference. It was marked as classroom number three. I stuffed my schedule and map into my backpack and began in the direction of the classroom.

I made it moments before the late bell sounded. Everyone was already in their seats. As soon as I opened the door, all eyes were on me. It was like they were trying to pry out my soul with only their eyes. Of course, I blushed a deep red. I hurried over to where the teacher was standing. He was also staring at me, except it wasn't a 'prying into your soul' kind of stare, it was more of a 'stabbing daggers into your soul for interrupting my class' kind of stare. I smiled sheepishly, trying to earn some brownie points.

No such luck; as usual.

I gulped and handed him my slip to sign. He grunted and snatched it out of my hand, quickly scribbled his signature, and then thrust it back at me. He pointed to an empty seat in the back, and then turned his attention back towards the murmuring class; most likely gossiping about me.

I didn't bother with introducing myself, seeing as I had already made a bad impression and wasn't looking for a detention slip.

I wasn't really all that great with first impressions.

I quietly made my way to my assigned seat. Fortunately, I didn't trip. I set out my notebook and pen, and began to take notes.

Throughout the entire class, I constantly felt the eyes of my new classmates, boring into my skin. I tried to ignore it as best I could, but it still sent shivers up my spine. I was _not_ for attention, especially _this_ much attention.

Finally, the bell rang; my saviour. I quickly made my way out of the classroom, making sure to avoid everyone.

"Hey! Hey new girl!" some one called from behind me.

Darn.

I stopped in my tracks and turned around reluctantly. There was a boy barrelling toward me, his arm waving frantically in the air. I thought that I recognized him, but I couldn't be sure. He had blonde hair that was cropped short. He had bright blue eyes and was fairly tall. When he reached me, I definitely recognized him, but couldn't pin a name on him. But he _did_ remind of a puppy dog.

"Hey, thanks for waiting up," he said, his eyes seemed to shine; that _really_ made him look like a puppy. I was surprised that I didn't see a tail wagging from behind him.

"Um, hi," I said. He smiled broadly.

"Hi. I'm Mike. Nice to meet you -?" He trailed off, raising his eyebrows in question.

"Isabella. But you can call me-" I was cut off rudely.

"Nice name, Izzy," he exclaimed, looking proud by his nickname for me.

In loathed that nickname.

"Actually, I like to be called by Bella," I quickly corrected him. He looked surprised and slightly hurt, but it passed quickly. He nodded enthusiastically.

"Alright, yeah, that's cool, Bella. Hey, uh, so you need someone to show you around?" He asked, practically hopping on his feet.

"Um, yeah actually. I still need to find my locker. It's, um," I quickly looked my class schedule for reference. It was listed there. "Locker number 88. Do you know where that is?" He nodded quickly and took me by the arm. It was only about a ten second walk, because it was very close to the English room.

He spread out his arm, gesturing to a locker with the numbers 88 printed at the top. "Tada! This is your locker," obviously. "And here is mine," he said, while gesturing to the locker on my right. I nodded my head, trying to look enthusiastic. If he said 'locker buddies', I knew that I was to avoid him at all costs. Preppy is okay, but not when I've just moved back to Forks. "We're locker buddies! Awesome huh?" I winced slightly at the term, but nodded my head anyways.

Avoid for today.

"I really should be getting to my next class," I told him. His face fell a little at that.

"Oh, okay. What's your next class?" Before I could respond, he glanced down at my schedule. His face immediately brightened. "Calculus. I have that next too!"

So much for avoiding.

I quickly stuffed the rest of my books and things in my locker, before following Mike to Calculus.

After Calculus, I had History, then Spanish. Mike wasn't in my History or Spanish class, but I met _another _enthusiastic boy. His name was Eric.

We were walking through the hallways after Spanish, when we entered into the cafeteria. As soon as I entered, all eyes were on me. I flushed a deep, crimson red and followed after Eric to a table.

There were about six people already seated there. They all stopped there conversations, and stared at us. I stared down at the floor. Eric held out a chair for me. I mumbled thanks, and sat down.

"Hey everyone, this is Bella. She's new here," Eric said. I heard everyone respond by saying 'hi'. I looked up to take in everyone's appearance. I immediately recognized Mike. There was also a girl from English, who I learned to be Lauren. There was also Ben, Tyler, Angela, Jessica.

I was swarmed with questions for about ten minutes, before they changed to another topic. I was grateful for this, and decided to take a look around the cafeteria. I had forgotten how small this town was, not to mention how small the school was. I guessed there to be around three hundred to three hundred and fifty students in total.

I continued to scan the cafeteria until I spotted _them_.

They sat with their family at their own table, completely isolated from the rest of the student body. They weren't with _any_ of our old friends.

But that wasn't what was bothering me.

What bothered me was the fact that I could tell that something was _different_. I didn't know what exactly, but for some odd reason, I could tell. Maybe it was the way that they presented themselves or their minute movements of the head, but there _was _something _different_ about them.

I continued to stare at them, when _he_ turned his face to mine. Even from across the cafeteria, I could see the difference in his eyes. They held regret and anger. I quickly looked away.

"Hey Jessica," I said. She turned away from her conversation with Lauren.

"Yeah?"

"I was just wondering, is that Alice and Edward Cullen?" I asked quietly. Her face took on one of utter surprise.

"You know them?"

"Yeah, I know them. Actually, now that I think about it, I know all of you," everyone turned around to face me at my statement. They looked at me as though I was some sort of stalker. "I used to live here. I guess that I just forgot to tell you guys that. Sorry," I quickly reassured them. Relief flashed over their faces, then recognition.

"Bella _Swan_?" Mike asked. I nodded. This aroused a whole new game of twenty questions. After it died down, I asked Jessica again about _them_.

"Oh, _them_," she said with a hint of anger tied in with her voice. "Ever since you moved away, they've been acting _really_ weird. They said that they were in a car accident, almost died," I took in a sharp breath of air when she said 'almost died'. She didn't seem to notice, and kept on talking. "I don't know what happened after that, but it was like they had some sort of epiphany. They wouldn't return _any _of our calls or e-mails. They were home-schooled for two years, and then came back here. Why? I don't know. But when they came back here, they stayed to themselves and their family; like I cared though. We gave them the cold shoulder, which they didn't seem to mind at all. But, I gotta say, Edward is looking _hot_," she said whispering in my ear. That made me feel uncomfortable. I mean, he _was_ my ex-best friend and hearing that said about him made my blood boil a bit.

At that moment, the bell rang, and everyone scurried out. I had Biology next, and so did Mike _and_ Eric. They kept taking quick glances at me, as if to make sure that I was really there. I wanted to shrink back and become invisible.

When we reached the classroom, Mike and Eric reluctantly left my side, and went over to their assigned seats. I walked over to the teacher, who I took an immediately liking to. He was nicer about having a new student a while into the year.

"Sorry again for delaying your class," I apologized.

"Don't be! It's happened before, I've been teaching for twelve years so it's not unusual. Now, you can sit in the third row by the window," he explained to me. I nodded and turned around, looking for my seat. I found it and made my way over there. I looked in the seat beside mine to see who my lab partner was.

It was Edward.

My breath lodged in my throat. I tripped over a backpack and was forced to tear my gaze away from Edward. I grabbed onto the counter ledge for support. I stopped myself from falling face flat on the cold tiled floor. As I gathered myself, I heard multiple giggles from around the room.

I took my seat. I was now blushing tomato red. Everyone turned their attention away from me, and to the lesson. I sighed silently.

I didn't know what the lesson was on. I tuned out after about ten minutes because I felt someone's eyes on me. I quickly scanned the room. Then I turned my eyes to Edward. He was staring directly at me. I felt my heart beat quicken in surprise. I blushed again.

I got no reaction out of him. He didn't twitch or flinch or sneer at my blush. But I did sense pure anger and restraint rolling off of him in waves.

When I looked into his eyes, which took a great amount of courage to do on my part, I was taken aback. I had expected to see his famous emerald green eyes that I would lose myself in. Instead, I peered into coal black anger. I was interrupted by the teacher.

"Now, I'm going to put your knowledge to the test," he said. I whipped my head around to hear our instructions. "The lab is on page 168 of your textbooks. Read over the instructions and begin. This is an individual assignment, so no partners. Understand?" murmured 'yes's filled the room. "Good. Now, begin."

I opened up the textbook that I had been given. I found that I had already done this lab at my old school, so it took me only ten minutes to complete. I looked up at the classroom clock. I still had five minutes left. I decided that I would try to talk to Edward. He had finished just a few minutes before me and was just staring at the clock. I took a deep breath and turned to face him.

"Hi Edward. Long time no see," I said with as much confidence as I could muster. His body went rigid with what I expected to be surprise. That hurt me a little, but I didn't let it break my shell of confidence; my thin shell of confidence. He didn't turn or speak to me. I let out a frustrated puff of air. I tried again, "Edward. Have you gone deaf or something?" I stated sarcastically. _Still_ no response. "_Fine_; be a jerk," I said coldly. At that moment, the bell rang. I quickly gathered my things, but before I stomped out of the classroom, I took one last look at Edward. He was staring at me with anger-filled eyes.

My heart felt heavy.

For a second, I thought that I saw a flicker of regret in his eyes. But it was gone the next second. _It might have been a glint from the lighting, _I told myself. I left biology, and headed off to gym class.

Oh, joy.

Throughout the entire class, I couldn't get my mind off of Edward. I didn't matter; I had _always_ been horrible at sports due to my lack of coordination.

I guessed that his whole behaviour didn't really surprise. He had, after all, stopped contacting me once I had left. But there was one image that I couldn't erase from my head.

His coal black eyes.

I missed those orbs of Emerald that I was so used to gazing into. They used to shine with humour and family love. But now, they were full of anger and restraint. I forced myself to think them to be the result of contacts.

But I didn't believe it.

Something was wrong, but I didn't dare tell anyone of my suspicions. They would have called me crazy otherwise. I _really_ didn't need that at the moment.

I planned to confront a certain someone tomorrow. I needed answers. And I knew just who to go to.

I had just let myself be hit in the head with volleyballs for the next hour.

"Bella, can I talk to you?" Charlie asked, after he had finished his fifth piece of cheese pizza. We were in the living room. Charlie was watching a baseball game on the T.V, and I was huddled on the couch, reading _Emma_.

I tore my attention from my book. "Yeah?" I asked. Charlie muted the T.V and turned to me.

"Well, I talked to your mother," he started.

Oh, no. This cannot be good.

"She said that you had left without any notice. She never would have noticed that you had left, if she hadn't woken up early."

"I left a note explaining everything," I told Charlie. He seemed to take this into consideration, but then put on his 'serious parental' face.

"That's not the point, Bella. The point is that we're still trying to decide whether or not you can stay here for awhile. To help out decision, we need to know why you came here in the first place," he finished. He was waiting for my response.

"I left because I haven't seen you in a long time, and I wanted to see you, maybe even live here. I _do_ have some choice in the matter of where I live, you know," this seemed to be news to Charlie. "I wanted to see you, my old friends, and the scenery. I missed my old life, Dad."

"Bella I-" I interrupted him.

"That and I was kind of mad at mom. She took me away from here on such short notice. I just need some time away from her, and away from Phoenix. Please, Dad?" I pleaded.

His face softened. "Bells, I would really enjoy it if you stayed. I missed you too. It's not a problem for me. I'll talk to your mother," he finished awkwardly. He wasn't exactly good with showing his affection, but I saw it through the awkwardness. I smiled broadly. I rushed over to him and pulled him into a gentle hug.

"Thanks Dad! I love you," I said. He was stunned by my actions, but gave me a light pat on the back.

"Your welcome, Bells," I heard the smile in his voice. I pulled back then remembered something.

"Hey, dad? How come you never retuned my call? I called you to tell you that I was coming," I asked. He looked surprised by my confession.

"I was working up in Port Angeles for a few days. They needed extra men in a case. I had only actually been home for about a half-an-hour when you arrived," he explained. I nodded in response. That cleared things up for me. "Well, I'd better call your mother."

"Okay. I'll be up in my room, doing my homework. I have a lot to catch up on," I said before heading up to my room.

About an hour later, I was struggling to figure out a complicated calculus question, when there was a knock at my door. I told Charlie to come in. His eyes were shining with childish joy.

"You can stay for as long as you like, Bells," he told me. I smiled and nodded. Before he left my room I had to tell him something.

"Dad, I'm going to go grocery shopping tomorrow, okay? You don't have a lot here to work with," I said. He nodded; new excitement bloomed in his eyes. I guessed that he hadn't had a home-cooked meal in a long time. He left me to my homework.

After I finished my homework, I took a quick shower, and then crawled into bed. I snuggled under the warm covers. I let my mind drift through happy memories.

Just before I fell into unconsciousness, the image of Edward's hateful eyes, filled my head.

I had a fitful sleep that night.

**A/N: Ohhh! What's going to happen the next day? Who is Bella planning to talk to? You'll just have to wait until the next chapter! Please review! I was kind with giving you guys this chapter early. Remember, reviews help me to write faster. Thanks! **


	15. Author's Note!

**A/N: Sorry to all of you who thought that this was a chapter. I have to tell you all something.**

**I have a poll on my profile and I would appreciate it very much if you could all vote on it.**

**Again, sorry to disappoint you all! I will try to update within a week or two. Maybe earlier, if I get more reviews for my latest chapter! :D Sound tempting? I hope so! **

**Please don't review this Author's Note! ****Please review my latest chapter, ****Starting All Over… Again****, instead! Thanks!**

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	16. Interrogations and Second Looks

**A/N: Thanks to all of you who have voted on my poll! I still need some more votes though, so please vote! :D Hope that you all like this chapter! I'll be gone for most of next week, so I there won't be any updates. Sorry! Thanks for all of your WONDERFUL reviews! :D**

_**Disclaimer:**_** My name is NOT Stephenie Meyer. My name is Dolphin231! :D**

**Chapter 15**

**Interrogation and Second Looks**

**EPOV**

I had almost lost control the other day.

_Almost._

I wasn't going to let _her_ get in the way of all my hard work.

I took a deep, unnecessary breath. I turned the keys in the ignition. The engine hummed softly to life. I sounded like a mountain lion ready to attack.

Just like me.

**BPOV**

I awoke to a soft drizzling sound coming from out of my window. I lay in bed for a moment, just listening to the steady sputtering of the raindrops on the window glass. It was a peaceful sound. I had forgotten how much that I had missed the rain back in Phoenix.

Then I remembered that I had to walk to school in it.

I groaned aloud. The steady rain no longer sounded peaceful and welcoming; it sounded as though it was trying to attack through my window.

I drew the covers back. I staggered down the narrow hallway to the bathroom. I looked at my reflection and immediately regretted doing so. My hair looked as though Frankenstein had styled it. I had dark circles under my eyes, making my look like Frankenstein's _wife_.

I went back to my room. I searched around for my hairbrush. After succeeding in my daring adventure, I began to pull it roughly through my mass of bed-head hair. In parts, I could let go of the brush, and it would stay in my hair, dangling from a large knot. It was tough, but my hair came out smooth and silky in the end.

I then picked out what I was to wear for that day. I chose my dark wash jeans and a black tank top that was modest enough for my liking.

I was just about to close my closet door, when a flash of white hit my eye. I peeked inside my closet only to find a bright white leather jacket. It looked brand new. I guessed this to be Jessica's work. She had probably snuck it into my suitcase when I wasn't looking. I couldn't blame her; it was very cute. It was plain; except for the Japanese writing on the left shoulder. It was plain, but with a little bit of flash. I took it off of the hanger and looked at the label. I gasped. And _designer _too! I didn't enjoy the thought of Jessica buying me clothes. It made me feel like a charity case, which I definitely wasn't. Either way, I would have to remind myself to thank her when she called.

I slipped the jacket on. It fit me perfectly. I ran down the hall to check myself out in the mirror. I was stunned by the result. It accented all of my good curves. It wasn't tight in the arms or the waist. It was something that I could wear all day without feeling uncomfortable.

I went back to my room and took off the jacket. I gently stuffed it into my back-pack. It was too bulky for me to wear under my rain jacket.

I looked at the clock beside my bed. It was seven fifty. I still had ten minutes before I had to leave for school. That gave me just enough time to eat breakfast.

I grabbed my back-pack and walked down the stairs cautiously, not wanting to trip and sprain my ankle; which I had done, three times.

I victoriously made it to the kitchen. I didn't see Charlie, but I did see a scrap of paper stuck to the fridge. I pulled it from the magnet holding it there. It was from Charlie, as I had suspected. I read it.

_Bells,_

_Sorry for leaving you early today. Truthfully, yesterday, they said that I could in late because it was dead (don't worry! I don't mean 'dead' literally'!) around. I usually leave at 6:45. Just thought that you should know._

_Have a good day at school,_

_Dad_

_P.S. Don't make plans for Saturday afternoon. We're going somewhere._

I set the note onto the kitchen counter. I then pulled out the Cheerios from the cabinet and poured myself a bowl. As I chewed on my soggy cereal, I thought about my plan. I needed to get some answers, and soon. I was going to set my plan into action during lunch.

Once I finished my breakfast, I looked to the clock on the microwave. It was now eight o'clock. I threw on my rain jacket and slung my back-pack onto my back. I slipped on my shoes, and was out of the door. I locked the door behind me.

I suddenly had the suspicious feeling that someone was watching me. I whirled around. My eyes were met with green forest and rain. I scanned the forest quickly. For a second, I thought that I saw a flicker of movement, but I over-looked it. I descended down the stairs and trudged off into the rain.

**APOV**

Let her come.

I wasn't really sure about what she was going to question me about, but it was something important. I could feel it.

So, let her come.

**BPOV**

I walked up to my locker and opened it on my fourth try. I stuffed my un-needed books onto the tiny shelf at the top of my locker. I slipped off my slick, wet jacket and hung it onto the sturdy hook inside. I reached into my back-pack and pulled out my new white leather jacket. I pulled it on. It felt good as I trailed my fingers along the smooth leather.

"Hi Izzy!" Said a preppy voice from behind me.

_Oh no._

I turned around. Mike was standing behind me, expectantly. Again, I imagined him with floppy ears, and a tongue sticking out of his mouth.

_Wait, did he just call me _Izzy?

"Hi Mike. By the way, I'd like it if you would stop calling me Izzy. I prefer Bella," I told him. Hopefully he would get the message _this_ time.

"Sure, Bella. Nice jacket. Is it new?" He said while looking over my jacket. I nodded, then I closed my locker. I started off down the hall, towards English. Mike followed me, talking all the while about La Push beach.

When I took my seat in English, Mike hovered for a few more moments.

"So, Bella, do you think that you could make it?" Mike asked. I whipped my head up and stared at him in surprise.

"Make it where?"

His face fell. I felt bad for not listening. "To La Push? This Saturday? With everyone?" Oh.

"I'm sorry Mike, but I can't go this Saturday. I have to something with my dad. Maybe some other time?" I tried to reassure him. I felt really bad and wanted to make up for it. Mike might have been annoying, but he was really nice to me.

"No, no! We can change the date to Sunday!" He reassured me quickly, his baby blue eyes wide. I nodded. His reaction was truly scaring me! He smiled, and then walked over to his seat two rows in front of me. The bell rang, just as the teacher was walking into the classroom.

My morning classes seemed to pass by in a blur. All that I really remembered was being assigned a Spanish project with Jessica Stanley and Angela Weber. We were meeting after dinner at my house to work on it. That wasn't my idea, it was Jessica's. I had the suspicion that she just wanted to see my house, seeing as all I had for research was an ancient hunk of junk of an excuse for a computer.

Then, it was lunch.

I entered the cafeteria. A lot of heads turned my way. I had to wonder what the gossip was that was surrounding me. Maybe I was a juvenile delinquent; or an alien princess from space, sent to destroy everyone. Or maybe they had all heard that I had returned from Phoenix. You never knew with my generation.

I tried to hold my head up high, but I was betrayed by my traitorous blush. After a long, humiliating walk, I made it to my friends' table. They were all staring up at me, expectantly. I smiled sheepishly, and then took a seat on one of the cafeterias hard, blue plastic chairs. I brought my plastic fork down onto a piece of lettuce in my salad. I chewed it slowly.

It was only then that I noticed that no one was talking. That and everyone was looking at me. I swallowed my piece of lettuce.

"Is something wrong?" I asked self-consciously. That seemed to pull everyone out of their daze. They all shook their heads, and started nibbling on their lunches. I raised my eyebrow in question, but didn't voice my curiosity.

"So, Bella; we changed the La Push get-together to this _Sunday_. You cool with that?" Mike asked.

"Yeah. That's fine," I replied. He looked relieved, and started talking to Eric. That seemed to be the ice-breaker. Everyone began to converse with one another. Personally, I was just glad that the attention was off of me.

"So, Bella," I looked up from my salad. I directed my attention to Jessica. She continued to talk, "I'll bring my laptop to your house. That way, we'll have two computers!" She said her voice going an octave higher, than normal. I seemed to attract preppy people. I nodded, and then turned my attention back to my salad.

I silently ate my salad. When I finished, I listened to everyone's conversations. Everyone was talking about going to La Push. I couldn't blame them; it was a nice beach. I hadn't been there for four years, and I doubt, unlike most of my past life, that the La Push beach has changed at all. I smiled at the thought of spending the whole day with my new friends, at the beach.

I was slowly munching on my celery stick, when I remembered my mission. I looked over my shoulder at where the Cullen's had sat yesterday. Good; they were sitting there again today. I figured that it was 'their' table. I saw Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper, Edward… where was Alice?! I scanned the cafeteria trying to spot a short, pixie-like person. I was about to give up, when I spotted her by the trash cans. She was moving with her pixie-like grace; the grace that I had _always_ envied. Except, she seemed to be more graceful than before. I shrugged it off. That's what natural grace does to you. You seemed to improve every year; while clumsy people, like me, seemed to only grow clumsier.

I stood up abruptly, causing all of my friends' eyes to turn to me. I blushed. I started to head towards the trash cans.

"Hey, Bella! Where you going? There's still ten minutes left of lunch," I heard Jessica's voice from behind me. I looked over my shoulder to answer him.

"I just remembered something!" I called back. From all of the noise in the cafeteria, I was surprised if she heard me at all. She shrugged it off, and turned back to Lauren, with who had been talking about what to wear to La Push for the last twenty minutes. I turned my head to see where I was going.

I should have been doing that the whole time.

When I looked back to where I was going, I found myself facing the ground. I had tripped over a back-pack. I took in a surprised intake of air, as I was sent sailing through the air. My forehead slammed onto the hard, tiled floor. A flash of pain shot up my head. Great, I was going to have a great, bug, purple bruise right smack in the middle of my forehead! Most people just got zits there, but no, _I_ got bruises from tripping. I landed hard on the floor. I had let go of my tray somewhere in the whole mess, and I was just noticing where it had landed. Apparently, it had flown up into the air, and had landed on the back of my head. I could feel the remains of my salad dressing seeping in my hair.

I slowly lifted myself up from the grimy floor. I heard my tray clash to the ground behind me. I turned around and bent down to pick it up. I could hear snickers from all around me. My cheeks felt as though they were on fire. I ducked my head and quickly walked over to the trash cans. I just set my tray down on the tray deposit counter, seeing as all the rest of my food was in my hair now. At least I knew that my hair was a great sponge for food.

Yeah, right.

The whole ordeal had lasted only about a half a minute, but it had seemed like much longer to me. I heard the flap of the trash can going back, and the sound of food being dumped into it. I turned to see Alice dumping her remains into the trash.

It was no or never. I opened my mouth and let the words rush out, "Hi Alice. I need to talk to you." Alice turned her attention away from her tray, and to me. At first, a sly smile lifted the corners of her lips, and then a horrified expression dominated her features.

"Bella? What _happened _to you?!" She exclaimed. Great, that was what every girl wanted to first hear from their ex-best friend.

"Oh? You mean my hair? Yeah, I just kinda' tripped back there, but I'm fine," I replied. I wasn't fine; actually I was humiliated. I could still feel the blush on my cheeks.

Alice's eyes narrowed. She could see past my horrible lie. That and she could probably see my fire red blush. "No, you're _not_ fine! Look at you! Ugh! I did _not_ see this coming!" She muttered under her breath. I guessed that I wasn't supposed to hear it, but I did. I paid no mind to it though, because the next second, I was being hauled by the arm into the hallway. The laughing faded away as we made our way down the hall. We entered through another door; the girl's washroom.

She set me in front of the mirror. I cringed at the site. My hair was a mess. So much for my good hair day.

Alice rummaged through her big, black purse. She pulled her hand out, it was clutching a pink brush.

"Alice, what are you-?" I started. She had cut me off though.

"I am saving you from humiliation. Now stand still!" She commanded me sternly. I did as she said.

As she brushed my hair, I thought of her. At least _she_ still cared about me. She had talked to me, after all. Heck, she was saving my butt, like when were younger. I smiled at those memories. She had helped me out of a lot of sticky situations.

But that still didn't explain why she had never contacted me after I had left.

After she was done her work, my hair was soft and silky again. I seemed to be even nicer than it had earlier. I brushed my fingers through it, awed at Alice's talent at beauty.

She was packing up. I seized this chance to talk to her.

"Alice," I began. She stopped in her tracks, and looked up to me.

"Yeah?"

I stared at my shoes. I wasn't sure of how to start this off. So I said the most idiotic thing that a person could say.

"Hi," I said lamely. I lifted my head. Alice looked at me like I was crazy.

"I think that you already said that, Bella," she stated. I saw a flicker of amusement cross over her face

"Right, forgot. Um, how are you? I haven't heard from you in a while," I whispered the last part. I saw remorse take over the amusement.

"I'm sorry Bella. It's just that everything went crazy after the accident. I assume that you've been informed on this?" I nodded my head. "Okay. Again, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to happen, it just, sort of, did," she finished with a shrug and an apologetic smile. I smiled back.

"I missed you Alice," I confessed. Her smile widened. I expected her to hug me, but she made to move to, so I decided it best not too. We had _so _much to catch up on.

"I missed you too, Bells," she said. We stood there for a few moments. I could hear the rustling of students outside of the bathroom. It was almost time for afternoon classes. I had to make this quick.

"Alice, can I ask you something?" She nodded her head to me, signalling for me to continue. "This might sound rude, but I have no intentions on it sounding rude." I paused for a moment. "What is up with Edward? I don't think that he likes me. He kept glaring at me yesterday in Biology class. Is he angry with me?" I asked worriedly. Her face gleamed of surprise and confusion.

"He never told me anything about you. I think that he might just be going through something right now." _Like what? Puberty? _"I'll talk to him, okay Bella? Oh! And here," she handed me a piece of paper. On it was scrolled a phone number. "It's my cell phone number. Call or text me. We have _so_ much to catch up on! By the way, I _love_ the jacket! Very cute!" She said. The nice thing about Alice was that she was preppy, but not _too _preppy. She was just cheerful.

"I don't have a cell phone, so I'll probably just me calling you," I told her.

"Okay. I like talking better anyways," she replied. She came over to me and gave a quick, _very_ quick, hug. By the time that my brain had registered it, I was alone in the washroom. I looked down at the piece of paper. I smiled. At least I had made some progress with Alice.

I walked out of the washroom. I gathered my things at my locker for Biology. I stopped in the doorway. Inside, I could see Edward. He was staring at me, cold and hard. I glared back at him. I wasn't going to let him bring me down. He looked taken aback for a moment, but resumed his glare.

I marched over to my seat and sat down. I promptly took out my things, just as the bell rang. Mr. Banner went over some things that I already knew for about forty minutes. Then, he set us off to work…

With our partners.

I turned to Edward. He was already facing me, still glaring. I took a deep breath and reached for the microscope and one of the slides. I tore my gaze from Edward, and peered into the lens. I could feel his glare boring into the back of my neck. I prayed that I didn't still have any food stuck in my hair. I made my assessment and voiced it. "Prophase," I said icily. I could hear the venom in my voice as clear as crystal. I normally wasn't a vicious person, but he didn't have any right for treating me like this.

I pushed the microscope in front of him, not even bothering to meet his eyes. By now, I knew what they looked like.

As I wrote down my findings, Edward peered into the lens. He quickly looked down, then back up.

"Anaphase," he said. I was stunned by the sound of his voice. It was soft and gentle, like velvet. It held some venom in it, but it was mostly covered by the softness. I found myself looking up to meet his eyes. That's when I noticed that they were no longer coal black, but a golden brown. They were hard, frozen. I took my eyes off from his, and looked at the rest of his face. I felt my eyes widen and my heartbeat quicken.

He was _beautiful_.

His skin was very pale, more than before. His facial features enhanced his whole face. His hair was the same shade of coppery- brown, but it stood out more now, thanks to the paleness of his skin. His lips looked perfectly sculpted. His cheekbones were perfect. His chin, his eyebrows….

He was just, _perfect_.

He was inhumanly beautiful. He looked like a Greek god. I felt as though he should belong in a museum.

"It's you turn," he said, interrupting my reverie. He was looking at me strangely, almost amused. For a second, his golden-brown eyes seemed to liquefy. I decided that I liked this _much_ better than the icy stare I had been receiving for the past half hour. His head cocked over towards the desk. That's when I noticed that the microscope was sitting in front of me. I blushed madly, embarrassed to have been caught staring at him.

I felt him go rigid beside me as I peered into the lens.

"Interphase," I stated. I passed him the microscope again. I wrote as he analysed the next slip.

We finished first, so we had some time before the bell rang for the last class. I decided to strike up a conversation. I slowly turned to him. He turned as well, reluctantly.

"Will you actually talk to me today, Edward?" I asked him, trying to not let my hopes up. But I found myself doing so. Then I remembered that I was supposed to be mad at him. I collected myself enough to keep a steady glare at him.

"Maybe. Depends," he said slyly. I frowned at his response, puzzled.

"What do mean by 'depends'?" I asked.

"Depends if you're still mad at me. I don't need a girl mad at me," he responded smoothly. That really boiled my blood. I clenched my fists into tight balls.

"_Of course _I'm still mad at you!" I spat out.

"And why would that be?" He was obviously having fun with this. His eyes were liquid gold again, but I didn't care. I tried to put as much intensity into my glare as I could. I decided that I didn't like this new Edward, _at all_.

"First off, _you_ were the one who was glaring daggers at me yesterday," I snapped. His smile slipped a bit. "Second, you never even bothered to contact me after I left. And, yes, I called and e-mailed you for _months_," I said. My voice cracked at the end. I knew that I was close to tears. That's the part that sucks when I'm mad, I tear up. That and I was just plain out upset. "Third, you act as though we were _never_ friends, Edward," I finished. The tears that had been threatening to escape spilled over my cheeks. Edward's smile changed into a frown; a _worried_ frown of all things.

"Bella-" he began, but the bell cut him off. His voice was full of concern. His eyes were full of worry and they were pure liquid now. His voice tempted me, but I held back. He had hurt me too much to be forgiven, just like that.

I rapidly stuffed my things into my back-pack and swiftly stood up. I didn't dare to look at Edward, afraid that I might breakdown.

Suddenly, I felt a cold hand wrap around my wrist. The coldness of his skin surprised me, but not as much as the jolt of electricity that I felt when his skin came into contact with mine. He held me back.

"Bella-" he said, yet again, but I cut him off.

I put as much venom and hurt into my voice as I could muster, "I have to go, Edward. I'm going to be late for gym. Besides, I don't want to talk to _you_ anymore." With that, I yanked from his iron grip. He didn't resist.

When I made it to the doorway, I took one last final look back at Edward.

Bad choice.

His eyes were full of sadness and remorse. I choked on my own breath and tears. A new flow of tears escaped my eyes. I whipped my head around again and quickly walked off to yet another torturous gym class, wiping my eyes along the way.

He had hurt me.

Now I had hurt him.

So much for making amends.

**A/N: There you have it! PLEASE don't kill me! It's all part of the story! Remember to review!**

**Thanks! :D**


	17. Too Close For Comfort

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait. I was on vacation for the last while, so was unable to write. I want to recommend a story to you all. It's by Alice's twin at heart. It's called **_**Life As I Know It**_**. It's written by one of my best friends and it's pretty good so far (I almost peed me pants laughing). It's on my favourite's, so check it out. Also, check out my other friend's story, **_**Dancer**_**, by x TWILIGHT x OBSESSED x. They're both really good! Thanks! :D**

_**Disclaimer: **_**No. That is my answer. I do not own Twilight (well, I do own a **_**copy**_** of it, but I didn't write it). Or do I?.... Haha! Yah right! :D**

**Chapter 16**

**Too Close For Comfort**

**EPOV**

I had screwed up. Bad.

I had lost Bella's respect. Heck, I had lost it the moment that she had walked into the front doors. No; I had lost it four years ago, when I had never responded to her calls or e-mails. I still remembered the last e-mail the she had sent me.

_Flashback_

_I was willowing in my shame of the monster that I had become, when someone called my name from downstairs._

_"Edward!" I groaned. It was Alice. I wondered what she was up to _this_ time. She had been bothering me for the past few months, trying to turn my frown upside-down. But so far, no such luck._

_"What?" I said, my voice dripping with annoyance. She knew that I didn't like to be disturbed, but she didn't care._

_"Bella just sent you another e-mail!" she called up in response. I growled. I didn't want to read Bella's e-mails. She was always saying how much she missed me, and how much she hated her mom. She sounded like she knew about pain. But she knew _nothing_ about pain. I shuddered at the memory of the burning, and of the horrible sensation of the smell of blood. The realization of the reality that had been thrust upon me._

_"If you don't get you butt down here, I'll kick it down here myself!" I groaned again. She is the most annoyingly stubborn pixie that I had _ever_ known. _

_This time I shouted loud enough, that I'm sure that Jasper and Emmett could hear me from miles away where they were hunting. "Make me!" _

_Bad mistake._

_Within moments, Alice is in my room, glaring daggers at me. Her arms are crossed over her chest and her right foot is tapping rapidly._

_I looked up at her, eyebrows raised. "Ever heard of knocking?" I asked her sarcastically. She just continued to glare at me. _

_"Now Edward. Or you'll be sorry," she threatened. I couldn't help but laugh my head off. Even with super-vampire strength now, she was still just a pixie. I was still plenty stronger than her._

_That was my other mistake._

_The next second, I found myself being pinned to the ground. The hard wood of my bedroom floor was cool against my cheek. I cursed under my breath. I had let my defence down. I should have learned by now to _never_ do that. _

_"Well?" Alice asked. I sighed in defeat. She took this as my white flag, and rested her hold on me. I immediately fled downstairs to the living room. _

Man, I really need my own computer, _I thought. It was true. I hated sharing a computer with everyone else. I got no privacy that way. That and Emmett continued to post pictures of Rosalie as the screensaver. It was really annoying, and disgusting._

_I sat down at the computer desk and logged onto my e-mail. There was one e-mail. As Alice had mentioned, it was from Bella. I reluctantly move the mouse over the e-mail, and clicked it. Bella's e-mail appeared before me._

Dear Edward,

You never answer my calls or reply to my e-mails. I'd be surprised if you were even reading this. If your not, then I'm talking to no one….

_I could just imagine Bella, blushing from the idea. I chuckled at the thought. I continued to read:_

Anyways, I get it. You don't want to be friends anymore. You could have just told me you know. Whatever, it doesn't matter anymore. I won't bother you anymore. Well, I guess that this is goodbye.

Bella

_I felt my mouth drop in surprise. It took a few moments for my brain to think through it. _

_No, this was good. Bella understood now. She wouldn't get hurt. She was safe._

_Still, I couldn't help but want to run over to Phoenix and convince Bella otherwise. But I didn't. I kept my feelings bottled in._

_"What did it say, Edward?" Alice asked from behind. I quickly deleted the e-mail. She didn't need to know my business. _

_"Nothing. Leave me alone Alice," I snapped at her. I rushed up the stairs and ran into my room. I locked the flimsy door behind me. I knew that anyone could burst through it as easily as breaking a toothpick, but they knew not to disturb me. I just hoped that Alice would get the message this time. She never did._

_But, amazingly, she did get it this time._

_End Flashback_

I've kept my feelings bottled up ever since. No one bothered to try to dig up anything from me anymore. They were always curious though. I heard it in their thoughts all the time.

I didn't let my guard down anymore. I knew that if I did, I would be seen as vulnerable.

I had let my guard slip that second day with Bella in Biology. She had surprised me to beyond words.

No, she hadn't just surprised, she had hurt me. Bad.

I sneered. Who would want to befriend a monster anyways? It shouldn't matter to me anyways. I was a heartless bloodsucking monster. I didn't have blood coursing through my veins, I had venom, poison. I was a killing machine.

My proof? I had almost killed Bella that first day.

**BPOV**

I woke up, yet again, to the sound of rain spraying against my bedroom window. I drew the warm covers back and lifted myself from my comfy bed. I moved about the house in a zombie state. My mind wasn't on my morning routine. It was in Biology class.

Edward's face kept popping up in my mind. In that moment yesterday, he had looked so innocent and vulnerable. I had forced myself not to turn around and comfort him.

He didn't need me. Heck, he didn't need anyone.

But how I wish that he did.

Somehow, I had made it to school. I was standing in front of my locker, its metal door wide open. I just stared at it for another minute, wishing that I could stuff myself into it, and shut myself from the world right now.

Eventually, my brain's gears began to turn and I stuffed my back-pack's contents into my locker. I rushed off to English without a second thought. I needed to focus on my school-work.

There was no time for Edward Cullen.

My morning classes passed by in a blur. Before I knew it, it was lunch, and I was sitting with my new friends.

"Sorry about not being able to make it last night," Jessica apologized. I took my attention away from my salad.

"Huh?" I said unintelligibly.

"Remember? I called, saying that Angela and I couldn't make it to your house last night. I had relatives over, and Angela's sick," she explained. I looked to where Angela usually sat. Her seat was vacant.

I rummaged through my brain, trying to remember about last night. I had been so engulfed in my thoughts about Edward that I hadn't paid much attention to what had happened around me.

I remembered card-board tasting pizza…

My trip to the grocery store…

Jessica calling me…

Oh! Right! Now I remembered. I looked to Jessica and nodded. "Yeah, I remember. I finished my part of the writing and research. How about you?" I asked.

"Actually, yes! I'm amazed that I had enough time last night. I had to look after my cousin, Puking Peter," she made a face at the mention of his name. I suppressed a giggle.

"Cool. Angela also called me last night. She said that she was bored at home, so she finished her part. Now all we need to do is put it together!" I said, faking enthusiasm. Jessica nodded vigorously. A broad smile spread across her face.

"Now we won't have to worry about it when we're at La Push!" She squealed.

"Oh, yeah! So you guys are still in for Sunday?" Mike popped in. We both nodded. Jessica continued to talk to Mike about the arrangements. Soon later, everyone was in on the conversation. I piped in occasionally, but mostly kept my mouth shut.

When I had finished my lunch, I got up, and cautiously made my way over to the trash cans. I didn't need another cafeteria trip up.

As I was dumping the remains into the trash can, I suddenly felt the hairs on my neck rise. I piled my tray on top of the slowly growing pile, and then turned around. I had that suspicious feeling that I was being watched. I scanned the crowd, until my eyes landed on the Cullen's table.

_He _was staring at me. It was a hard, cold stare that chilled me to the bone. I shuddered internally and turned my back towards him. I rushed out of the cafeteria and to my locker.

**EPOV**

_Are you listening to me, Edward?! _Alice thought. I turned my gaze away from Bella's retreating figure. Alice's stare was fixed on me, as usual.

"No," I whispered in a barely audible voice. She rolled her eyes before returning to her stare.

_Just like you _always_ do, _she thought sarcastically. In rolled my eyes. _Edward, you're hurting Bella. She knows that something is up. _She got up from her seat, and passed by me on her way out. _If you want to protect her from us Edward, you have to stop hurting her. Oh, and stop trying to read her mind, you'll never be able to. _She finished.

It sometimes amazed me what Alice knew. You'd think that _she_ was the mind-reader in the family.

**BPOV**

"Crap!" I said harshly under my breath. I had forgotten my Biology textbook. I thought back to last night. I remembered leaving it on my desk right beside my Stone Age computer. I guessed that I still had about ten minutes until the end of lunch. I figured that if I walked fast enough, I might just slip in before the bell.

I started towards the front doors. I was rushing, no, more like sprinting, so I wasn't really paying attention to much.

I was sprawled on the ground within ten seconds. My butt hurt a lot, but it wasn't as bruised as my ego. I groaned in pain. I deserved it.

I looked up to see what I crashed into.

My eyes went wide.

Or _who_ I had crashed into.

Edward was standing above me, unharmed by my clumsiness. His lips twitched, on the edge of a playful smile. For a second, I forgot all about his new attitude and was reminded of the old, fun-loving Edward. The Edward that I'd had a crush on all those years ago. I found myself blushing. Edward's lips stopped twitching immediately and returned to his usual frown.

Well, scratch _that_ last idea.

"You okay?" He asked in that velvety smooth voice that just about made my heart melt. I just gawked at him. His perfectly sculpted eyebrows pulled together as though in confusion. After a minute of what looked like he was debating whether or not to help me up, he held out his hand. I lowered my gaze from his face to his outstretched hand. I just stared at it, not sure whether to be happy or scared. "You can take it, you know," Edward said, humour playing behind his voice. I was sure that if I dared to look into his eyes, they would have been a warm liquid. But I didn't.

Instead, I slapped his hand away. I felt a slick shock run up my arm, but I guessed it to be that sting of my slap.

"I don't need your help!" I snapped.

_Whoa! _I thought._ Where did all of this confidence come from?_

I steadily lifted myself from the grimy floor. I brushed the loose filth off of my clothes, and looked up at Edward. He did _not _look pleased.

"What is up with you Bella?!" He accused. I felt my heart jolt when he said my name. He didn't wait for an answer, "I'm _trying_ to be nice! Every time that I give you a second chance-" but I cut him off angrily.

"Every time _you_ give_ me _a second chance?! No. I gave _you_ a second chance. I gave you _way _more than just two chances. So don't you _dare_ tell me that you're giving _me_ a second chance!" I finished. I turned around and stormed off. Except I didn't get very far; without warning, Edward had grasped my wrist. He spun me around and pulled me close; so close, in fact, that I would have been able to hear his heart if mine wasn't already pounding so hard. He brought his face close to mine. I felt my breathing go shallow.

"If you were smart, you'd stay away from me," he whispered into my ear. He pulled away, and let go of me. He was gone by the time my brain started to work again. I was alone in the hall. My heart was still pounding in my ears, and my breath was coming out raspy. My wrist felt cool where he had grabbed it. My whole body was tingling now like it had received an electrical shock.

Edward never showed up to Biology.

He _did_ forget his Biology textbook last class, so I used his. It disgusted me that I was forced to use his textbook in my time of need, but I didn't want to fail Biology. It helped me that I had been in Advanced Bio in Phoenix, which meant that I could ponder Edward's words, instead of listening to the lesson.

His last words rang in my ears. _If you were smart, you'd stay away from me._ What did _that_ mean? Was he implying that I wasn't smart? Or had he turned into a motorcycle-cruising, gangster bad boy? Was he out to kill me in my sleep? Was he a psycho?

No, but I would find out.

As I lay in my bed that night, Edward's face popped up into my mind. I mentally went over all of him. I looked at his bronze-red red that just seemed to invite my fingers to tangle into. His eyes, the golden honey-like orbs that, when liquid and soft, always seemed to be on the edge of laughing. They sometimes even reminded me of his old eyes, the emerald green ones that I lost myself in daily. Which reminded me, why did get contacts? His vision had always been perfect.

My mind drifted to his lips. I blushed ferociously. I forced myself to stop thinking about him, but, of course, it didn't.

Instead, I found myself thinking of what a jerk he had become; the way he ignored me, and everyone else; his harsh tone of voice if he actually replied to me; the way that he appeared to forget about our friendship….

I hated _and_ loved the new Edward.

Did that make sense?

I didn't think so.

**A/N: Hope that you liked that chapter! Please review! I LOVE to read reviews! They help the story move along faster (wink! Wink! Nudge! Nudge! ;D) Thanks to all of you who read this story! You rock! **


	18. Old People, New Feelings

**A/N: Not much to say… except that I'm dreading the fact the school is in but only a few more weeks. Oh well, that's life. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter! Thanks for reading! :D**

_**Disclaimer: **_** I don't have red hair… or three boys... or a million dollars from a best-selling novel…. In other words, I'm not Stephenie Meyer.**

**Chapter 17**

**Old People, New Feelings**

**BPOV**

I had completely forgotten that it was Saturday.

So, when Charlie had woken me up, I had freaked out at the time, thinking that I was going to be late for school. It took Charlie ten minutes to convince me that it was Saturday. By then, I was hyperventilating and half way out the door.

"Sorry Bells. I didn't mean to scare you, but I didn't think that you'd want to miss out on this." Charlie seemed pleasantly excited. He was smiling big, which brought out his dimples that had made Renée fall for him at first. His whole face was lit up, glowing almost. He reminded me of a child on Christmas Day.

"It's alright Dad. Now, what are you so excited about?" I asked him with genuine curiosity. His face seemed to lift even more at my lack of knowledge.

"You'll find out when we get there," he answered. He slipped on his shoes and opened the driver door of the cruiser. I figured that I had no choice in the matter, so I climbed into the passenger's side. Charlie started the engine, which puttered some seeing as the cruiser was at least seventeen years old. Luckily, it ran.

We drove through Forks. Everywhere I looked, there was green. The drive was only about fifteen minutes long. Before long, we passed a sign that read:

**Welcome to La Push**

On the sign was a painted wolf. It was a soft gray one. It stood on a rock, its muzzle pointing up at the moon, howling. I guessed that it was part of the Quileutes' legends. I would have to research that when we got back home.

Finally, the green stopped moving by my window and the engine ceased its rumbling. I looked out the front window of the cruiser. We were parked right in front of a small log house. My heart filled with a warm, cozy feeling that I hadn't felt in a long time. It was sappy, but it was true.

Charlie was already out of the cruiser. I undid my seatbelt and crawled out of my seat. I walked up to the front door with Charlie. Charlie opened the door without knocking and I was about to protest, when a middle-aged man in a wheelchair came from the living room. He had a big smile plastered on his face. He held out his knuckle, which Charlie pounded with his own knuckle. It was odd to see two grown men pounding knuckles, but then again, Charlie always seemed to have a hint of childishness in him. I figured that Charlie and this man were friends, so this must be normal for them.

After the man was done greeting Charlie, he turned to me. I saw surprise flicker across his face.

"Bella? Is that you?" I nodded slowly, wondering how this man that I didn't know could know _me_ so well. "Wow! You've grown a lot since the last time that I saw you. How old are you now?" It must have been quite some time since I had seen this man, because I had no memory of him.

"Um… I'm seventeen," I answered. I looked to Charlie for help. He seemed to sense my cry for help, because he started to explain things to the man.

"It's nice to see you Billy." So that was the man's name. "Bella here probably doesn't remember you all that well. She last saw you when she was seven years-old." That explained a lot. Billy gave a little nod of understanding before wheeling himself inside the log house. Charlie turned to me. "That's Billy Black. He and I used to be really good friends until you came along." Oh great. Another thing to be guilty about! "Once you left, I started to hang out with him again." Maybe I should have just stayed in Phoenix; nothing seemed to be improving since I'd returned. In fact, things had gotten worse.

We headed inside. The wallpaper was worn and peeling in some places. The kitchen was open to the living room, where a T.V was playing a baseball game. It certainly wasn't anything fancy, but I liked that. It was homey.

Billy opened the fridge his head disappearing inside it for a few seconds. He came out holding two coke cans. He tossed one to Charlie, who caught it easily. He held out the other coke to me, but I said no thanks. He shrugged and took a swig. Once he and Charlie were both done, they started to talk.

"So, you here for her present?" Billy said while nodding his head in my direction. Present? What did he mean? Charlie got me a present? I eyed him suspiciously.

"She wasn't supposed to know that, but yes Billy. Where is it?" Charlie replied with some annoyance laced into his voice.

"Sorry," Billy apologized. "It's in the garage. Looks real good now; all cleaned up. Lots of elbow grease and searching at the dump. You'd be surprised what you can find there," Billy rambled on while we all headed into the garage. It was full of tools and car parts. But what really caught my eye was the big red truck that was sitting not five feet from me. The red paint was faded and the fenders were huge, which made me think that it was at least thirty years old.

"Bella, your new truck," Charlie announced. I looked to him in complete surprise. Charlie had gotten me a _truck_! I loved it!

"Wow! Thanks so much Ch- Dad! I love it!" I ran to the truck's cab and swung the door open carefully. Charlie and Billy retreated into the house to watch the game. I climbed into the driver's seat and ran my hand over the wheel. I knew that I was smiling like an idiot, but I didn't care. This was _awesome_!

"Like it?" Came a voice from beside me. I jumped, my arm accidentally making contact with the speakers forehead. I gasped in surprise. I heard a groan come from the stranger.

"I am _so_ sorry! I can't believe that I did that! I am _so, so_ sorry!" I began to chant. The stranger was holding his hand to his head and grimacing.

"Nice to see you too, Bella." It seems that everyone knows me fairly well here. "Sorry for scaring you, I guess that I deserve it, huh?" He said lightly. He was smiling now. His teeth were so bright, that I was surprised that I didn't need sunglasses to protect my eyes from the glare. His smile was sincere and friendly. It was just what I needed right now.

"Um… who are you?" I asked sheepishly. He looked surprised but then smiled even more.

"I'm Jacob Black. We used to make mud pies together when we were really little. We made a mean mud pie!" He said while playfully punching my arm. He started to laugh. It was husky and warm. I couldn't help myself, I laughed along with him. It felt good to laugh. I hadn't felt this free in a long time. We laughed for a while. Finally, we were able to calm down long enough to breathe.

I noticed that there was a red mark where I had hit him. All playfulness left my body in an instant. I lifted my hand to his forehead, checking for bruising. He winced a few times but was mostly okay with it. There was no doubt about it, there was going to be a big, purple bruise there by tomorrow. I felt awful. Jacob seemed to sense my guilt because he smiled again.

"It's nothing. I've had worse." He liked to smile, didn't he? His smile was contagious. I felt myself smiling too. "I like your smile," he said almost absentmindedly. I blushed hard. Then, I noticed how much I had leaned in to him. He wasn't far from me. I could feel his heat flowing from his body. I blushed even more; I was sure that I was as red as a tomato by now. I pulled myself away. Jacob's smile withered a bit.

"Can we take a ride to see how well it runs?" I asked as my cover-up. Jacob's smile returned to its full self. I found myself wanting to take a picture of his smile. I never wanted to forget it. It brightened up my day.

"Already did. You can only drive up to fifty-five. If you try to push it any further, well, you might just need to visit me." I wouldn't mind that. "I've worked really hard on this baby and I'd hate to see it go to the dump." I nodded. I would take really good care of it. "Do you still want to take it for a spin?" He asked. I nodded enthusiastically. He climbed out of the truck, and then opened the garage door by hand. I couldn't help but notice how his muscles bulged under his shirt from the work. That must be a really old garage door. That and Jacob must work out a lot.

After he had opened the garage door, he climbed back into the truck and handed me the keys. So, it was a Chevy? Nice. I started up the engine, which groaned loudly. I looked worriedly at Jacob. He just smiled, reassuring me that everything was fine. I placed my gaze on the road again. I drove around for a while, trying to memorize what turns I had taken seeing as I didn't know my way around. Meanwhile, Jacob and I talked about really random things; like who liked peanut butter better. Eventually, I found my way back to Jacob's house. I parked along beside the cruiser. I shut off the engine and climbed out carefully.

As soon as my feet hit the hard pavement, a bitter cold wind whipped at my face. The chill reached in through my clothes and made my blood freeze. I shuddered from the sting of the cold. Winter was here with vengeance.

"You cold?" Jacob asked. I shook my head, but he saw right through my lie, most likely because I was shivering so badly. His eyebrows knit together. His expression said that he didn't believe me at all. I nodded. "That's what I thought. Here." With that, he pulled me into a hug that warmed my whole body up. Why was he so warm? Oh well, he was warm compared to this cold, that's all that mattered. I hugged him back. It felt good, natural. I smiled into Jacob's blue shirt. I had already taken a liking to Jacob. He was a good friend, I could tell. I would have to visit him sometime soon.

I pulled away from his hug, now that I was all thawed out. Almost immediately, the cold winter wind started the freeze me again. I ached to feel Jacob's body heat, but it might be awkward. Instead, I wrapped my arms around myself.

"Hey, Jacob?"

"Yeah?" He gave me permission to continue. Oh boy. How do I put this?

"Um… Why are you so warm? Shouldn't you be freezing?" I asked sheepishly.

"I don't why. My dad's been saying the same thing lately. And then he gets all smiley, like he knows something that I don't. You get what I'm saying?" I nodded. "As for the cold question, I'm not. I don't know why, but I'm just not. Sorry for the lame excuse." He smiled apologetically. I smiled back.

Suddenly, he placed on of his big, russet coloured hands on my cheek. My cheek thawed instantly; from his body heat or the blush, I'd never know. "You cold again?" He asked. I nodded.

At that moment Charlie and Billy decided to come outside. Jacob pulled his hand away. At the same time, I took a step back, putting some distance between us.

"Time to go home Bells." Charlie stated. I nodded and headed towards my new truck.

"Bye Jake; bye Billy. Nice meeting you." Jacob waved and Billy did a little nod. Charlie was smiling at me mischievously. I shrugged it off. I started the truck and drove behind Charlie all the way home.

That's when the interrogation began.

As soon as I walked through the front door Charlie started to ask me questions.

"So, what do you think of Jacob?"

"He okay; nice kid," I answered while groaning inwardly. This was going to be a long night.

"Kid? He's sixteen, Bells," Charlie defended. I figured that I should start dinner. I entered the kitchen and pulled out some preserved chicken.

"He turned sixteen just two months ago," I argued as I unwrapped the raw chicken.

"Yeah, but he's very mature for his age." I felt as though I was at a debate competition. I sighed.

"Okay. Your point?" I asked, already knowing where this was headed.

"I'm just saying that he's a nice boy is all. And…" He trailed off. Oh boy. Here it comes.

"And?" I asked while I heated up the stove. I placed the chicken on the pan; it sizzled.

"Maybe you're interested in him," he said sheepishly. He sounded embarrassed to have to say this. I sighed again and turned around.

"Dad, I'm not interested in Jake. He's nice and all, but he's more like a _friend_. Okay?" I finished, hoping that it would stop Charlie from trying to convince me into dating Jacob. I didn't like Jacob that way. Besides, I had already experienced enough heartache for one lifetime.

"But, at their house, I saw him and you-"

"It wasn't what you thought Dad. He thought that I looked cold, which I was. Okay Dad?" He nodded, and then retreated to the living room to watch T.V. I finished dinner; chicken and salad. Charlie needed to have a proper diet and frozen T.V dinners did not make that cut.

After dinner, I washed the dishes, and then went to take a shower. The warm water felt good after the bitter winter sting. I dressed in sweats and a tank top. I crawled under my bed covers. I was comfortable and happy. I had gotten a truck, met a new friend, and I was free of future rides in the cruiser.

And, I got to go to La Push beach tomorrow with all of me friends.

Things were starting to look up for me. Whatever with Edward Cullen.

I think.

**A/N: I know, I know. I am throwing Jacob into the loop. You can kill me if you want. Hey, random question, who here likes peanut butter? No offence meant if your allergic.**

**Thanks for reading! You all rock! :D **


	19. Storytelling

**A/N: Hello everyone! Here's the next chapter! You're welcome that it's early. It's short so I thought that it would be okay. Make sure to check my new poll on my profile! Thanks! :D **

_**Disclaimer: **_**I own a Twilight poster and the books, but not Stephenie's brain, unfortunately.**

**Chapter 18**

**Storytelling **

**BPOV**

It was Sunday, finally. I was excited to have a day of fun, and I was also excited that Mike and Eric would hopefully shut up about it now.

I woke up an hour before they were coming to pick me up, so I had plenty of time to get ready. I wasn't planning on going surfing or swimming. I didn't dare trust myself on a surfboard.

I had bought some pancake mix, so I decided to make pancakes for breakfast. Charlie was already up, and once he smelled the pancakes, he came running. He had gobbled down four pancakes before I had finished the second batch. He had ten pancakes in all. I had three. I wasn't very hungry. I wasn't sure why, but my stomach was doing flips the whole morning.

I packed a towel, just in case, a rain jacket (it was on of those rare sunny days in Forks), and a book that I had borrowed from the school library.

Just as I had finished packing a horn sounded from outside. I smiled to myself; I knew that today was going to be a good day. I just knew it. I raced out the door, throwing a quick good-bye at Charlie, and hopped inside the van. It was crowded inside the van, surfboards and people all crammed in. I clicked my seat belt into its holder, and we were off.

I was sitting in the back with Jessica, Angela and three other girls who I didn't know very well. There were multiple conversations floating around the van's tight space. Within a minute, my head started hurt from trying to keep up with all of them. Finally, I decided to just stare out of the window. I was staring to get used to all of the green again. The sun shone on the leaves of trees and bushes making the dew from the early morning glisten beautifully. The world looked happy and fresh. I couldn't wait until I could breathe in the salty air of the ocean.

We arrived at our destination and everyone scrambled out, anxious to have some fun. I grabbed my bag and walked down to an old fire pit that was surrounded by four large logs. I sat down on one of the logs and breathed in the salty sea air. It was crisp and fresh. It was wonderful. The fierce winter wind couldn't seem to penetrate the ocean cost. Amazingly, the air was warm. It felt good.

Soon, I heard the shouts of excitement come from behind me, gradually growing, until Mike, Eric, and Jessica passed by me, all clutching surfboards. The waves weren't very big, but they must be adequate enough. I watched as Mike stood up on his board and made an attempt to wave at me, but he lost his balance and fell into the water. His expression was hilarious and a few giggles escaped from my mouth. Eric and Jessica were full out laughing at him. Mike blushed, but got back on his board and started to surf again.

I watched them surf for a while, laughing whenever someone fell into the ocean. Usually, it was Mike. They came in after about a half an hour all soaked and laughing. Mike playfully punched Jessica in the shoulder and she blushed.

Soon enough, we were all sitting on the logs and talking. Mike had plopped himself right down beside me. He kept smiling at me. I smiled politely at him, and then turned to talk to Angela.

"How are you, Angela?" I asked. Might as well start off with casual talk.

Angela turned to me and smiled nicely. She was by far, one of my favourite people right then. "I'm good. And you?"

"Good. I'm still trying to get used to things around here again. Everyone's changed a lot." I paused. "Especially Alice and Edward Cullen," I said softly.

Angela sighed. "So you've noticed, huh?" She laughed softly to herself and shook her head. "Of course you noticed. They were you're best friends with them."

"Yeah," I said, mainly to myself. The way she'd said it, how we _were_ best friends, it stung a little.

"Sorry, I didn't mean it that way," Angela said gently. It was kind of nice how she could sense how I was feeling. "Anyways, yeah, they both changed, a lot. They just stopped interacting with everyone else. They were home-schooled for two years, and when they came back, they just, yeah." She shrugged her shoulders. "Also, they looked like they had a makeover or something. They were… um… beautiful. You know?" I nodded. "So yeah. We were all kind of scared of them, so we just left them alone. Trust me, don't bother trying to befriend again. It's no use. I'm sorry. I know how close you guys were." I just nodded. Angela gave a comforting smile, and then turned away to talk to Lauren.

I looked around. Everyone was occupied. I dug into my bag and pulled out my book. I had read for about an hour, when I heard someone clear their throat. I looked up to see Jacob. He was standing over me, smiling, as usual. I smiled in return.

"Hey Bella. How are you?" He asked excitedly. I saw Mike's eyes darting between me and Jacob.

"Hey Jake. I'm good. I'm here with some friends for the day. What are you doing here?" I asked while I stood up. I slipped my book back in my bag and then turned my attention back to him.

Jacob smiled humorously. "I live here, remember?" He chuckled a bit. I blushed, feeling rather stupid.

"Wait. You know this guy?" Mike asked worriedly.

"Yeah, our dads are friends," I explained. I could see Mike's shoulders relax a little.

"So, you two aren't-?"

"No," I said quickly. I turned my attention back to Jacob. "Want to walk?" I asked him. He nodded. Little did he know that I was about play twenty questions with him. We walked a ways down the shoreline. The sun felt good on my skin. I loved the rain, but I had also grown accustomed to the Arizona sun. I listened to the steady crash of the waves. I breathed in the air, filling my lungs with life.

"Hey, Jake? On the welcome sign, there's a wolf. Is it a part of your legends?" I asked. I was curious and wanted to learn from the source.

"Oh yeah! It's actually a kind of cool story." He took a seat on a large piece of drift wood and patted the space beside him. I took a seat as well and shifted to face him. He began, "There's a legend that us Quileutes are descended from… wolves," he paused, waiting to see if I would freak out or call him crazy. I nodded my head, signalling for him to continue. "It started with the Great Flood. Like the one from the Bible, you know?" I nodded. He launched into the story. It was actually quite fascinating. I found myself so intrigued, that I didn't notice how much time had passed. The sky had begun to darken. "We should head back," Jacob said. He got up from the log and started to walk. I caught up with him.

"Is there anything more to your legends?" I pouted. There was something else, I could tell.

"There is, but I'm not really supposed to tell you." His jaw was set, his smile wiped away.

"Please?" I asked. I batted my eyelashes for effect. Maybe flirting would win him over.

"Do you have something in your eyes?" Jacob asked. Crap! Apparently, I wasn't very good at flirting.

"No. Please?" I asked again, letting my lower lip jut out slightly.

Jacob's face softened. Soon, his usual broad, happy smile returned. "Okay. Like all legends, we have enemies as well. We call them the 'Cold Ones'. There's a rumour that the Cullen's, they go to your school," he explained even though I already knew.

"Yeah, I know them. What's the rumour?"

"The rumour is that the Cullen's are a clan of 'Cold Ones'. Weird huh?" He said, a chuckle escaping his chest. I chuckled as well, but my brain was really going through all of this information. We had reached the old fire pit again. I saw that everyone was packing up to go home. They saw me, and waved me over. I waved back then turned to Jacob.

"Thanks for the stories Jake. Um… you don't mind if I call them 'stories' do you?" He shook his head. "Okay. Thanks again. I'll probably see you sometime soon; there's going to be quite a few interesting games soon." I smiled at him and he smiled back, lifting my heart.

"Yeah, I suppose that I will be seeing you some time soon then. You're welcome, by the way. I like to tell the stories. Bye Bella." He pulled me into a friendly hug. I didn't want to leave yet, but Mike was my only ride home. A horn blared from behind us. I reluctantly pulled out of Jacob's warm hug, and headed to the van.

Once I was in the van, I felt several pairs of eyes on me. I looked up. Mike was darting his eyes from the road to the mirror where he could see me. Jessica, Lauren, and Angela were all peering at me intently. I felt myself blush. They were probably wondering what the deal with Jake and I was.

"Why are guys staring at me?" I asked. I needed to clear whatever was in their heads now; otherwise I'd _never_ hear the end of it.

"Oh! Sorry; it's nothing Bella!" Angela tried to cover up. I was glad that she wasn't cornering me. Jessica and Lauren on the other hand….

"What's up with you and that Quileute guy?" Jessica and Lauren asked simultaneously.

"Nothing; he's just an old family friend. Trust me," I assured them. They both raised an eyebrow in question.

"Sure," Lauren said, unconvinced. It took all of my self-control to not freak out.

"Really. He's just a kid. He is a great story-teller though. He gave me goose bumps just by telling some of the local legends," I said, attempting to change the subject.

Lucky for me, Angela seemed to sense my distress call. "Really? That's cool! Maybe he could tell me some of the legends next time." I wanted to hug her _so_ badly! Jessica and Lauren both dropped the twenty questions.

I talked to Angela the whole way back. She was easy to talk to; probably because she was so shy like me. She seemed to trust me. She told me, very quietly, that she had a crush on Ben. I wasn't surprised; Ben was shy as well, and nice from what I could tell. He and Angela would make a cute couple. I promised her that I would try my best to get her and Ben together. She brightened up at my promise. It felt good to help a friend.

When we stopped at my house, I said good-bye to everyone. Charlie was eating pizza and offered me some. I wasn't very hungry so I only took one piece. I spent the rest of the evening in my room, reading. But my mind wasn't on my book, it was on the legends that Jacob had told me. The one about the Cullen's especially eluded me.

I took a shower earlier than usual. My brain seemed to be all over the place. It needed rest, badly. I crawled under the covers. I remembered how I only used to sleep with one blanket back in Phoenix. Here, I needed at least two, because it was cold at night. That and the added arrival of winter, I would freeze if I only had one blanket.

I drifted off to sleep, thoughts of Jacob, Quileute legends, and the Cullen's in my head.

How is it that the Cullen's seemed to be involved with everything in my life?

**A/N: I feel bad for Bella. Her brain must hurt a lot. I hope that you liked that chapter! It was short, I know, but I just couldn't wait to update! I was disappointed with the response for the last chapter. I would like at least 15 reviews for the two chapters combined before I update. I know that I'm mean, but if you have enough time to read my story, you certainly should have enough time to leave a few kind words for me.**

**Thanks for reading! You are such loyal readers!**

**Peace! :D**


	20. Hurting

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews everyone! I got a really good response from last chapter. Remember, PLEASE vote on my poll. It could change the whole story (not in a bad way, don't worry). Thanks again! :D Enjoy!**

**P.S. Thanks to ****for the awesome jokes! (Emmett's jokes)**

_**Disclaimer: **_** I'm not Stephenie Meyer. I'm a ten foot alien who just happens to have stumbled upon a laptop. Haha! Just kidding! ;D**

**Chapter 19**

**Hurting**

**EPOV**

I was this close to ripping Emmett's head off and throwing it all the way to China.

He had been cracking jokes during the whole hunting trip. And they weren't even funny! It had gotten old, fast.

"Okay; so why did the chicken cross the road?" He asked. I was trying to enjoy the elk that I had just caught, but it was bitter. I quickly drank the rest, hoping that it would be tasteless if I finished in one gulp. No suck luck. The aftertaste was horrible. I felt my features scrunch up in disapproval. I threw the elk aside and turned to face Emmett, knowing that he wouldn't give up until I answered.

"Why did the chicken cross the road?" I asked, my voice in an unenthusiastic monotone.

"I doesn't matter! Because I drank its blood before it did!" With that, he started up another round of laughter. His laugh was more of a deep rumble that you'd expect to hear from an earthquake. The few woodland creatures that had stayed to watch us out of curiosity scurried away. It didn't matter; they were mostly just squirrels and mice.

I rolled my eyes at Emmett's twenty-seventh attempt at being funny. Most people saw him as a threatening grizzly bear; but to me, he was just an over-grown child.

"Why would you even bother to drain a chicken? They taste disgusting!" I made a face that most humans made after sucking on one of those sour candies.

Emmett's fit of laughter stopped instantly as he thought this through. After a few minutes of thought he returned his gaze back to me. "Party pooper," he stated. I shrugged my shoulders. His shoulders slumped and his playful features left his face. They returned once he picked up a grizzly's scent. He dashed off into the woods, whooping all the way, looking forward to his next grizzly fight.

He returned a little while later, his eyes shining with child-like wonder. His eyes were now a golden brown, which usually meant that he was done. I had finished a while ago, but I had promised not to leave Emmett alone. Rosalie didn't trust him. I could see her point.

As we were running home, Emmett started up his comedian act again. I would rather call it a torture act.

"What's smaller than a tick's brain?" He asked. I sighed heavily.

"No. What?" I replied. I would have said 'your brain' but I didn't want to be ripped to shreds today. This was going to be interesting.

"What it eats. You get it?" He asked enthusiastically. I nodded. I would rather eat pizza that have to listen to his jokes any longer.

"Here's another one," he began. "Why did the big moron fall off the cliff, and not the little moron?" He could barely contain his laughter.

"Why?" I had heard this one two years ago and a year before that. It was old.

"Because the little moron was a little _mor-on._" He burst into guffaws. I rolled my eyes. Emmett stopped laughing and stared at me, his eyebrows knit together in seriousness, which was rare for him. "What's up with you Eddie? You haven't cracked a smile in over four years."

"I told you, _never_ call me Eddie!" I snapped at him. He looked taken aback but recovered quickly.

"Wow. What's eating you?" He asked concerned. Oh boy, he was trying to act like the intellectual big brother.

"Nothing. Can we just drop it?" I spat out. I gritted my teeth. I needed my music; maybe some Simple Plan.

"No. Come on Edward. You don't smile or laugh. What's wrong?"

"_I'm_ the problem Emmett!" I shouted. My cap had finally blown. Maybe it wasn't so healthy to keep my feelings bottled up. "Look at me! I'm a _monster_, a killer, a murderer. I can't even be in the same room as Bella because of what I am! She's a singer to me! Do you know how hard that is?!" I yelled. We had stopped running. I could see our house between the trees. Everyone would be able to hear me, but I didn't care.

"Oh… so this is about Bella?" He asked, smiling slyly. That caught me off guard. I knew that it showed on my face, because Emmett's smile became even more mischievous. I shook my head to clear it from the hazy fog that was beginning to gather.

"_What?_ What- no! This has nothing to do with her! I'm just pointing out how hard it is to be what I am. I'm still new at this, no matter how 'mature' I am for my 'age'." I was tempted to knock on Emmett's head to check that he actually had a brain inside that big noggin of his.

"Yes it is Edward. Don't deny it. You _like_ like her," he said childishly.

"What are you Emmett, _ten_?" I said angrily.

"Do not insult me in such a manner!" He stated. Meanwhile, he was screaming in his mind:

_Am not! Am not! Am not!_

He was right; he wasn't ten, he was four.

"Whatever Emmett," I closed. I didn't want to be having this conversation anymore. I started to run again. I almost made it to the back door, but Emmett stepped between me and the door. I groaned loudly. Emmett looked pleased with himself.

"Listen to me Edward."

"I don't have any other choice, so shoot."

"Okay you see-" I interrupted him.

"Wait. This isn't another one of your jokes, is it?" I asked cautiously.

He huffed. "No. Now, you see, you remember that I told you that it was my fault that we were in that accident, right?" I nodded. This was old news. He had told me this a year after I was turned.

"Yeah, of course I remember." I tapped my temple. "Perfect memory, remember?"

"Oh, right. Sometimes I forget that when I'm distracted. Anyways, I told you that I had been momentarily stunned and had let go of the wheel?" I nodded. Why was he telling me this again? "Right. Well, I didn't tell you _why_ I was stunned. It was something that Alice had said." That caught my attention. I cocked my head to the said, curious. I would have to give Alice a good talking to tonight. Emmett took a deep breath before continuing, "Alice said that Bella had kissed you."

My mouth dropped open into a perfect 'o'. That was insane. Bella had _kissed_ me?! Why would she do that? It made no sense. Emmett had to be lying.

I recomposed myself. "I don't believe you Emmett," I stated blankly. I quickly ran to the front door and yanked it open. I flew up the stairs and entered m room, slamming my door so hard that it rattled. I heard Emmett's fast footsteps come up the stairs and stop outside my room.

"You do know that I can break down your door, right?" Emmett threatened.

"And then I'll tell Rosalie," I threatened back.

I heard Emmett grunt, annoyed, from the other side of the door. "Fine. I'll leave you alone. But I wasn't lying!" I heard his retreating footsteps and relaxed.

"Yeah, I _definitely _believe you!" I called down to him sarcastically.

_Lousy Edward, _Emmett thought.

"I heard that." I mumbled softly.

_You were supposed to!_

I rolled my eyes and walked over to my shelf. I had collected a lot of music during my human days. My collection had only grown substantially during these past four years. I fingered through my music until I located my Simple Plan C.D. I placed it into my C.D. player and pressed play. My ears were instantly filled with the sound of _Shut Up_ by Simple Plan.

I laid down on my couch and let myself melt into the music. Usually, I listened to Debussy or Classical, but lately, I needed my music to match my moods. And lately, I was feeling angry. Simple Plan was my best friend these days.

I was so immersed in my music, that I didn't hear Alice waltz in, uninvited. Suddenly, my music stopped, mid-chorus to _Jump_. I looked up to find an angry Alice glaring down at me, arms crossed over her designer pink blouse.

I had ticked off Alice in some way.

Uh-oh.

"What?" I asked, annoyed.

"You're hurting Bella." It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

"How would you know that?" I asked her.

"Because I talked to her during lunch a few days ago." That surprised me. Why would she be talking to her?

"Why?"

"Because she had food all over the back of her hair. That and she approached me." She paused for a second before continuing. "What are you doing to her?!" She said angrily.

"What am I doing? What are you doing talking to her?!" I needed to have the conversation veer away from me.

Alice threw her hands up in the air, frustrated. "That doesn't matter right now!"

"Yes, it does!" I protested. I was losing this battle, big time.

"I can talk to her because I'm not a scared a little baby! She came back here, hoping to regain her old friends. She gained me, but it's obvious that she really wants to gain you too. She's _trying_ Edward! Can't you see that? I haven't seen so depressed since the time that you stole her big cookie back in fourth grade! She's skulking around like a zombie and you're just sitting here, on your butt, feeling bad for yourself!" If she wasn't a vampire, her face would have been red with anger. I could just imagine steam escaping from her ears.

"Um, yeah, hello Alice? Look at us! We are _vampires_. We are condemned to being monsters for the rest of eternity! We are predators that none of our prey can resist! Our beauty, speed, strength, and powers are no gifts; they're curses! And you're telling me to feel sorry for _Bella_?! Sure, her parents are divorced, and she's a little depressed because of the way things are working out for her right now; but that happens to thousands of people in North America every day! So what?" I asked reasonably, but Alice only seemed to get angrier at me.

"So what? _So what?!_ This is Bella we're talking about Edward! Remember her? Our best friend back when we had blood flowing through our veins? The girl who would always stick by our side, no matter what? The girl that we loved as much as our own sister? The first person to befriend us? Yeah, her. What's happened to us has happened! There's no changing back; we are what we are. End of story. But it's not the end of Bella's story. We can change her story, help her. It's up to you," she finished. She turned around and had her hand grasped firmly around the doorknob. She hovered there, hesitantly, for a few moments. Finally, she turned the knob and opened the door. She was just about go, but she said sadly, "What Emmett told is true. I only still remember it because it was one of the best things that happened in my life." With that, she left me alone in silence. I didn't bother to turn on my music again. It would just jumble up my thoughts.

I would never bet against Alice, but it seemed so unreal. Why would Bella do that? Did she slip and accidentally kiss me? No, that was illogical. Maybe she had been dared? That was a possibility, but she never took dares. An adrenaline rush? No, that was just plain crazy. People didn't kiss other people because of a small adrenaline rush.

And why was I not able to read her mind? There was some sort of wall blocking me from her thoughts. Not matter how hard I tried, I couldn't penetrate it. It annoyed me to the point where I just wanted to run up to her, grab her, and force her to tell me her thoughts. But I would never so that, not to Bella.

For the first times in four years, my head hurt immensely. I didn't want to hurt Bella, but I was.

Was she capable of hurting me back?

**A/N: There you have it! A little filler, but I needed you guys to see how this is affecting Edward too. There are always two sides in a battle (but I personally am on Bella's side ;D). What side are you guys on? Please remember to REVIEW! I LOVE to read them! And remember my poll as well! Thanks! **


	21. Ugly Surprises

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews! I really appreciate them! Hey, here's a little curiosity question… how old do I seem through my writing? I'm just curious. I will not be giving away my actual age (except that I'm not 100. ;D).**

**P.S. That shout out from last chapter was for ****.**** Thanks for the jokes! :D**

_**Disclaimer:**_** I'm not crazy; I'm not a chicken (haha! But to certain others I am ;D Inside joke); and I am most certainly not Stephenie Meyer. **

**Chapter 20**

**Ugly Surprises**

**BPOV**

I woke up, feeling surprisingly calm. I had the sudden feeling that today would be a good day. I wasn't sure, but then again why is the sky blue? Some things we just don't question.

I passed through my daily morning routine with a slight spring to my step. This might also have been the result of meeting Jacob during the weekend. Whatever the cause, it felt good.

I was about to grab my rain jacket, when it dawned on me that I now had a truck to drive in. A warm, rain protected truck. I smiled at the wonderful thought. Things were definitely looking up for me.

I stepped out of the front door and faced my new truck, sitting amongst the cold winter rain. I looked it up and down. It looked as though it had been through a lot in its lifetime, just like me.

I hopped in the cab of the truck and started up the engine. It roared to life, shaking slightly. I slowly drove to school; I didn't want to push it past its boundaries.

When I arrived at the student parking lot, I couldn't help but notice all of the new, shiny, fast running cars, and felt proud. My truck was unique. It had character, unlike the expensive Volvo that was parked across the lot.

I parked my truck in one of the only spaces left. I shut off the engine and silence filled the cab. I sat back in my seat for a minute, just soaking in the feel of being the owner of a truck. I was disrupted when a rapping sound came from my window. I turned and saw Mike, standing eagerly, waiting to escort me to class. I gave him a little half-smile and opened the door and jumped down to the wet pavement. I slipped on my landing and fell forward. I felt myself being grabbed by my arms and pulled up.

"Thanks Mike," I gratefully told him as I regained my balance.

Mike chuckled. "You do that a lot don't you?" He asked with humour coating his voice.

"Fall, you mean?"

"Yeah." He flashed me a gentle smile. I nodded, blushing. We started walking to the entrance. We talked casually the whole way. I decided that Mike wasn't so bad, he was really friendly. He made a few jokes that made me laugh. He was nothing compared to Jacob though.

"So, Bella, where did you get the truck?" He asked. He was hanging by my desk before English started. He was casually leaning forward on my desk, waiting for my response.

"My dad bought it for me from his friend Billy. His son, Jacob, from Sunday," His muscles tensed at the mention of his name, "he rebuilt it. It's obviously not new though."

"Yeah, I kind of figured that. Chevy, right?"

"Yeah."

"Nice," he commented. At the same moment, the bell rang, signalling the beginning of the school day. Mike rushed to his seat, barely making it before the teacher came in.

The lesson droned on. I answered when I was called on, but other than that, I stayed quiet. I was tapping my pen to my notebook in beat of the tune that was currently trapped in my head, _Shut Up_ by Simple Plan, one of my favourite bands currently.

All of a sudden, there was a piece of paper in front of me. I looked all around me. Nobody was staring at me. I looked to my right. Alice Cullen was sitting beside me, facing forward as though listening intently to the lesson. I hadn't noticed her sitting beside me throughout the first week. She had probably switched seats, because no one had sat beside me last week. There was, I noticed, one empty seat at the front, two rows over. She caught me staring at her, and winked; a signal that the note was from her.

I glanced down at the note. I quickly grabbed it and hid it under the desk, out of sight of the teacher. It read:

_Hey Bella! How are you?_

_-A_

I chanced a peek at the teacher to see if he had noticed anything. He hadn't. I scrolled a few sentences on the piece of paper and handed it back to Alice. I wrote:

_Hi Alice! I'm fine. I'm sorry that I didn't call you over the weekend. I was busy. How are you? How was your weekend?_

_-B_

Within a minute, the piece of paper appeared in front of me again.

_I'm good. That's alright; I was busy too (out of town). I was with Esme and Rosalie for most of the weekend, it was fun! Saw a few deer and elk. How was your weekend?_

_-A_

_Sounds like fun, what you did. All girls weekend. My weekend was good too. I got a truck! Charlie bought it the day after I arrived. That was nice of him, huh? I also went to the La Push beach with everyone (you know who, right?). We had tons of fun!_

_-B_

_Girl Power! Haha! I'm still random (as you can tell). That was really nice of Charlie. Yeah, I know who, I've seen you eating lunch with them. Sounds like you had a lot of fun. I'm glad that you're back! I've missed you!_

_-A_

_Same old Alice. :D I've missed you too! And I really miss Esme's chocolate chip cookies! Haha! So, has Rosalie been keeping Emmett in line? Gosh, I forgot how BIG he is!_

_-B_

_I loved her cookies! My taste buds have changed since then though; I no longer like them anymore. I know, I'm crazy. Yes, she's been keeping him in line (just barely ;D). I know! His muscles always cease to amaze me! It's amazing, Emmett, Jasper, and Rosalie had their growth spurts years ago, and now they don't grow at all! Weird huh? It happened to Edward and I too a few years ago. And you too! Look at you! You are the center of attention in the men world! They call you H-O-T! Haha!_

_-A_

I blushed hard at Alice's statement to me being H-O-T, according to the boys. That was _not_ true! I was the plain Jane of every crowd.

_You don't like her cookies anymore?! You __**are **__crazy! Alice, honestly, I am most definitely __**not**__'hot'. Where would you get an idea like that?_

_-B _

_That idea is based on hard core facts, Bella! Don't doubt my judgement, or else!_

_-A_

_Or else? What do you mean by 'or else'? Should I be scared?_

_-B_

_I mean that believe or else I'll give you a makeover! Muahahaha!_

_-A_

_I was right, I __**should**__ be scared. Alice, you know that I hate shopping._

_-B_

_Trust me, that's one of the things that I could __**never**__ forget! Please? Come on! Look at me._

_-A_

I dared a glance at her, which was completely and totally stupid of me to do. She was giving me her famous puppy pout. I didn't even stand a chance against her cute, pixie force. I crumbled. I nodded my head in defeat. Alice squealed just as the bell rang, so no one heard her. She had impeccable timing.

I gathered my things and rose from my seat, my chair making a horrible screeching noise that sounded like a scream. I hurried to the door and was just stepping over the threshold, when I saw _him. _Apparently, he had this class now.

Just my lousy luck.

I peered into his eyes, which were a stunning topaz today, and saw nothing. No anger, fear, joy; just nothing. His face was neutral. He didn't even look my way. I passed by him and walked to my next class in a daze.

In just one week, I had declared Edward Cullen my nemesis. We had fought so much, that I ad just assumed….

Maybe he hated so much that he didn't even want to fight with me.

I felt my heart turn to lead at my hypothesis. My breath whooshed out of my lungs. Why did this lead me to despair? I hated him as well, so why wasn't I feeling victorious from his actions?

The morning dragged on. My head hurt immensely. I went to the nurse and asked for some Tylenol, but my headache didn't fade. It continued to pound persistently in my head.

Then, during lunch, I had an idea.

Maybe I shouldn't try to be enemies with Edward Cullen. It was causing me too much hurt. It might be better if we were civil to each other. But I had no thought as to how I would talk Edward out of being enemies. We would both need to apologise to the other. He had hurt me, deeply; and I had hurt him in return. I had thought that were even then, because of that. But in truth, I had just made the scars cut deeper.

How was I going to mend this wound?

Before I knew it, it was Biology, and I was sitting next to Edward. I was just now noticing how close we were, no matter how far away he tried to sit. I felt some sort of electric pull emitting from him. I wondered if he felt it too.

_Stop it Bella! Of course he doesn't! You're thinking crazy!_

Lucky for us we didn't have to take notes today. Instead, we were watching a video. It was old and very poor quality, but it was nice to take a break from writing.

The lights flickered off. Almost immediately, the electric pull strengthened to a need. I _needed_ to touch him. My whole life depended on me touching him. It was the strangest sensation. It was hard to resist, but I did. I was hugging myself tightly, my nails biting deeply into my skin. The pain felt good; it distracted me from the pull. I was unable to concentrate on what the film was about even though I knew that it would come back around and bite me in the butt.

That's how bad it was.

The teacher's voice rose from the semi-darkness, "Okay, you might want to take notes for the next little while. It might _pop_ up on a future pop quiz," I heard him chuckling quietly to himself feeling satisfied with his poor attempt at comedy.

I figured that it was probably a good thing that if I didn't fail this class, so I reluctantly reached out to my pen and notebook. I accidentally pushed my pen farther over. My hand groped around in the pale dark, until I found my goal. I was about to grab it to start taking notes, but something stopped me.

A cold, hard hand clasped over mine. It was much colder than normal skin temperature and it was hard and smooth, like marble. I felt a jolt of electricity surge up my arm and spread through my whole body. My first reaction was to pull away, but my brain was unable to send the message down to my hand. I did flinch slightly and the other hand started to retreat from its place on mine, but I held it firmly. The other hand was stiff, unsure for a moment, before relaxing in my grip.

I never took a single note during the entire film.

The other hand was comforting, even through its oddities. Our hands fit perfectly together, like two jigsaw puzzle pieces. It felt natural.

Unfortunately, the bell blared not soon after. And I was just becoming used to the abnormally cold temperature. The lights turned on and the film was paused.

I glanced down at our entwined hands. Then, I followed the other hand, up an arm, and then settled on his face. Edward's face was calm and serene. His golden eyes were boring into mine.

"Bella-" he began. Those words hovered in the air around us. I didn't notice the 'after class chaos' surrounding us. It was as though we were in our own little bubble. Edward looked unsure whether he should continue or not so I gave his hand a comforting squeeze. He breathed in and started again, "Bella, I'm sorr-" a loud squeal interrupted him.

My gaze flew away from Edward's eyes, to the front of the classroom. Standing there, practically jumping from excitement was a girl. She looked to be about the same age as me. She had a head full of beautiful, straw-berry blonde hair. She was slender and was absolutely beautiful. Her eyes were light brown with a thread of gold weaved into them.

Who was she?

"Edward!" She shrieked loudly. Okay, so she was a girl that knew Edward. Edward's hand drew away from mine. I didn't stop him. He stood up swiftly and stepped towards the shriek-y girl. She immediately enveloped him in an intimate hug.

Okay, so she was a girl that knew Edward _very_ well.

"Tanya? What are you doing here?" He asked, genuinely surprised. The girl, Tanya, released her hold on Edward's neck and looked up to him, her face as bright as a young child's.

"I've moved here to be with you, Edward! Isn't that wonderful? Now we can be together!" She squealed annoyingly. Wait? _Together?!_ What did she mean?

Be careful with what you wish for. That saying could just about sum it up.

The next second, Tanya was kissing Edward fiercely. My breath caught in my throat, forcing me to hyperventilate. I had somehow gathered my things and had stood up during all of this, because I staggered backwards, almost falling over a chair.

Tears burned in the back of my eyes. My heart felt like a million pounds, weighing me down. Regardless, I was somehow able to sprint out of the classroom and down the hall. I could hear the fading sounds of Edward's protests behind me. People stopped and stared at me as I passed by them. By now, hot, salty tears were sliding down my face.

My prediction for a good day evaporated the second that Tanya's lips made contact with Edward's.

Edward kept hurting me with these ugly surprises. He was refusing a truce. He continued the war between us.

He was destroying me.

**A/N: I know, I'm evil. Please don't hate me! It's all a part of the plan. Please remember to REVIEW! I love to read them! ;D Also, please remember to vote on my pole! By the way, I'm sorry, but updates will be coming farther apart due to school. I am sincerely sorry. **


	22. Happy Reunion

**A/N: I would have updated sooner, but my computer decided to delete what I'd had (3 pages). I swear, technology hates me, mostly computers. Anyways, here's the next chapter!**

_**Disclaimer: **_**I'm not Stephenie Meyer, or a bird (I'm scared of heights ;D).**

**Chapter 21**

**Happy Reunion **

**EPOV**

I had the worst luck in the entire world.

First, Bella moved away. Second, I was changed in a bloodthirsty monster. Third, Bella is my 'singer'. And now, Tanya interrupted me just as I was about to apologise to Bella.

Worst luck _ever_.

I pushed Tanya off of me harshly with a grunt. I knew that my face looked like I had just sucked on one of those disgusting sour keys candies. My muscles tensed under my shirt. Tanya was hurt, it showed on her face.

_Eddie-weddie? _She asked me through her thoughts. I cringed at her new found nickname for me. I pushed past her to the doorway, where Bella had just disappeared through. I could see her retreating figure sprinting clumsily through the sea of people which parted as she passed them. Everyone was staring at her, wondering what could possibly be wrong with her.

I called out to her, but she didn't respond; didn't even turn around. Now people were looking in my direction with disapproving glares, sensing that I was the one who had hurt the new girl. I clenched my fists. I wanted so badly to bash a locker with my fist, to release my anger and frustration, but of course, I couldn't. Instead, I stomped back into the biology room, grabbed my backpack, and stomped back out to my next class, leaving a still flustered Tanya behind me.

I didn't mind Tanya, I liked her in fact. We'd even dated a few years ago. I guessed that Tanya didn't exactly understand the phrase, 'We're over'. That was the thing with Tanya, she was pretty to look at, but she wasn't exactly very bright upstairs. She didn't understand the simplest concepts. That or she just didn't want to believe them. The world revolved around her.

And now she was jeopardising my relationship with Bella.

When I arrived at my next class, I was greeted with a furious looking Alice. Worst of all, she was glaring at _me_. I sighed heavily; this was going to be a long class.

She continued to glare at me throughout the entire class. Finally, I decided to pass her a note from a piece of torn paper. On it, I wrote:

_Why are you glaring at me?_

I quickly passed it to Alice, so fast that it would have been a blur to normal human eyes. Alice reluctantly opened my neatly folded note and read it. Her eyebrows knight together to make a delicately trimmed eyebrow. Finally, she sighed heavily, but quietly enough that no one else could have heard it. She brought her index finger up to her temple and lightly scratched it. It was a simple gesture, but I knew the real meaning behind it. She was telling me to tune into her thoughts. I did so.

_I am glaring at you because you are an inconsiderate jerk! _She thought fiercely. She reminded me of an angry kitten and I would have laughed, but then she would have clawed my eyes out at home. I wrote my response in another note.

Such a large accusation for no evidence.

Alice read it rapidly and her mouth dropped so far that I was sure she could have caught flies in it.

_You know perfectly well what you did!_

I lightly shrugged my shoulders as me next response.

_What you did to Bella, idiot! You brought Tanya over here just to ward her off! Well, congratulations, it worked and to top it off, you hurt Bella. You- you jerk!_

I was taken aback by her fury. She usually never got mad at me. She didn't even get mad at me when I had accidentally burned her entire new spring collection three years ago.

Ouch. That hurt. I didn't plan that though, she just showed up, so don't go blaming me.

Alice's mouth was practically touching the grimy floor. She obviously hadn't expected any of this. So much for psychic.

_I'm sorry Edward! I thought that it was your doing. I haven't been keeping tabs on Tanya lately, so she threw me completely by surprise. Still, you have to apologise to Bella for that._

Why should I bother? Whenever I try to explain something to her, she gets mad at me. She won't listen to me.

_That's not all Edward, _She thought while avoiding my gaze. I arched one of my eyebrows as my way of asking 'what?' Still avoiding my gaze, Alice answered, _she's going to go see Jacob Black after school. _I had to restrain myself from sprinting right that second to Jacob Black, and killing him.

"But he's due any day now," I breathed through my clenched teeth. Alice placed a hand on my forearm, knowing my plan. She pushed down hard, ensuring that I didn't move an inch.

"I know that, but what can we do? We can't just waltz onto their land. Remember the treaty that Carlisle told us about? If we broke that…." Alice trailed off in a hushed tone. She didn't have to finish, I knew that consequences of such actions; war between our two clans. Knowing the strength of both of our clans, none of us would win.

"But he could hurt her, even _kill_ her," I huffed.

Alice looked at me with pleading eyes. "So can you," she stated simply.

I forced myself to breathe in and out to calm myself. I didn't help me any, but Alice believed me, and released my arm from her firm grip.

Our little "conversation" lasted only about five minutes, but it had completely scrambled my brain in that short amount of time. Bella had befriended Jacob Black, a threat. Alice was right, he could hurt her, but so could I.

My world was spinning out of control, and I couldn't do a thing about it.

**BPOV**

As soon as Gym ended, I bolted out of the school and more or less flew home in my truck. Charlie wasn't home yet, and I took this for an advantage. I scribbled a quick note and placed it on the kitchen counter to make sure that he would see it. I then hopped into my truck and drove off to La Push.

The drive was difficult because I was continually becoming lost, what with all of the green. It felt as though I was driving through a wet, green maze.

Eventually, I found my way to Jacob's house. I shut off the roaring engine which immediately ceased its cries. When I stepped out from the cab, I was greeted by a tall, muscular boy standing in front of me. Startled, I jumped back slightly, bonking my head against the truck's rusty door. Pain flared up in the back of my head. I rubbed it carefully.

"I'm so sorry Bells!" Jacob apologised while placing a strong, russet hand on the back of my head. "I didn't mean to scare you! Are you alright?" He asked frantically while inspecting my head. I waved him off casually and attempted a smile, which even I knew was fake.

"I'm alright, Jake! Really," I answered when he shot me an incredulous look. "You just startled me is all." I shrugged.

A teasing smile replaced his worried frown. "Startled you? Yeah right. I totally scared you! Just admit it!" He laughed jokingly.

I lightly punched his arm. I was laughing now too; his laugh was just so infectious! "Was not! I was most definitely startled. Now stop smirking, it's cold outside," I lightly complained. At the same moment, a gush of freezing winter air blew past us making me shiver. Jacob laughed once again, but led me inside.

Once inside, I instantly thawed. I let out a grateful breath. Jacob flopped down on the only couch in the living room and patted the seat next to him, just like he had done back at the beach. I sat down next to him and turned to face him, just like he was.

"Where is Billy?" I asked purely out of curiosity. I cocked my head slightly to the side, my hair falling away from my face.

"He's at Harry Clearwater's for poker night, so we're alone for the evening," he said a grin breaking the surface of his skin. I grinned back.

We talked about the most random things for the next two hours; from talking parrots to flying cheese. Like I said, random.

I checked my wrist watch and gasped at the time. Jacob asked me what was wrong and I answered, "It's six o'clock and I haven't even started on my homework! I have a lot of Calculus homework and none of it makes any sense!" I covered my head with my hands. I felt Jacob place a large hand on my shoulder. I looked up.

"That's alright, Bells. I can help you," he answered simply.

"But you're only a sophomore, no offence," I said quickly. He chuckled.

"That's fine, I get that a lot. I'm in an advancement class for Calculus. I'm pretty good at it," he replied. "Not that I'm bragging or anything!" He covered when I glared at him. I slapped his shoulder. "Hey! What was that for?" He rubbed his arm.

"I hate people who are smart in Calculus." Jacob rolled his eyes. I unzipped my backpack and pulled out my calculus textbook and workbook. Jacob grabbed it and scanned it over once with his eyes. I heard him snort once or twice, which made me want to smack all the way to Florida.

"Okay you are doing this all wrong. Here's what you do first," he began.

My brain was going to explode by the end of the hour.

**EPOV**

_Ooo! Eddie's in trouble! _Emmett thought once I opened up the front door. I located him quickly and stood face to face with him.

"I told you to _never_ call me Eddie!" I spat in his face. He just smirked.

"But it's true! You are in deep doo-doo! Eddie's in trouble! Eddie's in tro-" I tackled Emmett to the ground. We started to fight. Of course, I was loosing. I was just about to smash Emmett's face in, when I heard a voice from behind me.

"Oh Eddie-kins!" Tanya shrieked. I cringed and pushed off of Emmett. I could hear Emmett chuckling heartedly behind me mumbling "Eddie-kins?"

I stood in front of Tanya. She instinctively gave me a hug. When she pulled away, she looked behind me, to Emmett. "Um, Emmett? Could you give us a little privacy? Please?" She asked sweetly. The next thing that I saw was Emmett's massive muscles making their way up the stairs.

The next thing that I knew I was being dragged along the forest floor, dodging trees and squirrels. This took by surprise, so I was constantly stumbling along the way. I didn't even stop to think why the heck Tanya was pulling me along through the forest against my will.

Finally, we stopped running. We were quite a ways away from my home. Tanya really meant it when she said that she wanted privacy.

She had let go of my hand and was now facing me, her foot tapping impatiently. I took a moment to take in our surroundings. We were in my meadow, except at this time of year it was mostly just dead shrivelled up leaves that had fallen during autumn. There was a light snow falling from above us, making a thin blanket of white all around the meadow.

I turned my attention to Tanya, which was a mistake on my part. She was glaring daggers at me, her arms crossed over her chest. "Hello _Edward_," she snarled my name. I almost stepped back in surprise, but decided not to at the last second, knowing that it would make me look vulnerable, which definitely didn't need right then.

"Are you alright, Tanya? You seem kind of-" I began, but Tanya rudely cut me off.

"_Shut up_, Edward! No small talk. I want to get down to business," she said menacingly. She was glaring at me evilly, the purple shadows under her eyes very prominent. Despite my defensive skills, I stepped back and gulped nervously. That just made Tanya smirk even more.

I took a deep breath. "What do you want, Tanya?" I asked shakily.

"Hmmm… now where shall I start?" She began evilly while taking a step towards me.

**A/N: Ooo! A cliffy! I need at least 10 REVIEWS before I can update. I know, I'm mean, but that's just me! MUAHAHAHA!!! Remember my poll!**

**Thanks! **


	23. Everything is Becoming Unclear

**A/N: Sorry for the wait, I wasn't quite sure where to start this chapter. Thank you for ALL of those AWESOME reviews! Especially to the person who did the 10,9,8… thing. I cracked up at that! :D**

_**Dislcaimer: **_** Maybe I should kidnap Stephenie Meyer and force her to write my next chapter… hmmm… now **_**there's **_**an idea! Haha! In other words, I'm not Stephenie Meyer.**

**Chapter 22**

**Everything is Becoming Unclear**

**BPOV**

Jake was a genius.

I swore that if he wasn't my friend, I would punch him in the face for being so darn amazing at Calculus.

Meanwhile, it just made my brain hurt from the effort.

Jake was attempting to explain how he found the answer to question fifteen… again. Finally, I threw my hands up in the air, frustrated. "Don't even bother, Jake. It's no use! We've been going at this for…" I took a brief pause to glance at my watch, "twenty-five minutes!" Only one question in twenty-five minutes? I really was bad at this.

"Calm down, Bella," Jake cooed while grasping my arms and lowering them. "You're right, you do need a break. I can help you tomorrow too. In fact, I can tutor you! I'm free every day of the week, how about you?" Jake asked enthusiastically. My heart skipped a beat when I heard that I might get to hang out with Jacob almost every day of the week. Before I knew what I was doing, I found myself nodding my head vigorously. Jacob grinned, which only made me grin.

Jacob closed my textbook shut with an air of finality. I put down my pencil and my brain immediately relaxed. Jacob rose from the couch, making it creak with obvious age. To me, it sounded like a relieving sigh, as though the couch were relieved to have Jacob's weight off of it finally. I couldn't help but giggle at the thought. Jacob heard my involuntary giggle and spun around, his face portraying curiosity. His eyebrow arched in question and I answered by straightening myself and putting on my serious face.

"What was that about?" He asked. I avoided his gaze by looking at the kitchen clock. "Please tell me? Please Bells?" I resisted the urge to look at him, knowing that he would release the dreaded 'puppy-dog eyes' on me, mercilessly. A few moments passed, filled only by the continuous ticking of the clock. Finally, Jacob's voice cut through the silence, "Fine. I guess that I'll just have to tickle you then!" He threatened. My head whipped around so quickly that must have looked like a blur. I knew that my eyes were filled with fear.

"You wouldn't."

"Oh, I would," he replied simply, a smirk spreading slowly across his face.

The next second, I was on my feet and fleeing from Jake the Tickle Monster. I was screaming. I could hear Jake's feet pounding down on the carpeted floor behind me, gaining rapidly. I saw what I guessed to be Jake's room ahead, and I put just a little more speed into my sprint for safety. I grabbed the door handle and yanked open the door to a room filled with posters of movies and cars. If that wasn't Jake's room, then Billy must have had the heart of a kid.

I stood there for a moment, soaking in all of the details of Jacob's tiny room. That was my mistake. In that moment, Jake caught up to me and closed the distance by wrapping his strong arms around my waist and locking them. He had captured me and was not going to let go.

I twisted and turned in his arms but he didn't budge. Somehow, we ended up falling face first onto his bed. My screaming had turned into laughter. Jacob released his hold on me out of surprise. Eventually, we were just lying on his bed, side by side, facing each other, listening to the soft sounds coming from the radio in the living room. The laughter slowly faded to silence.

The song that was playing on the radio that moment was 'Next To You' by Jordan Sparks. I was suddenly extremely conscious of how close Jacob and I were. His face was merely inches away. My breath grew shallow. I felt my cheeks grow hot under Jake's constant gaze. Then, he started to raise his hand to my face. He placed it gently on my red cheek, his skin warm on mine. He began to lean forward, our faces now just centimetres apart. I could feel his warm steady breath brush against my neck, making my skin prickle.

At that moment, a loud noise buzzed throughout the entire house.

I pulled away from our intimate moment and caught my breath. My heart slowly returned to its normal pace. I sat up and stared down at my shaking hands.

Jake groaned and reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out a small, black, vibrating cell phone. He flipped it open angrily and spat into the speaker, "What?!" Immediately, his expression softened and he spoke calmly, "Sorry dad. No, I didn't hear the phone ringing. You're coming home? Okay. Is anyone over?" His flickered over my way nervously. "Umm… yeah. Bella Swan." The tone of Billy's voice rose a little, I noticed. "Yeah, okay, I'll tell her. I was helping her out with Calculus. No, I wasn't helping her in Chemistry dad, why would you even say that?" I knew, and my cheeks grew even redder at Billy's comment. "Never mind, don't tell me. Okay. Bye dad." He snapped the phone shut and let out a sigh of frustration. He turned to me with apologetic eyes. "I'm sorry Bella. My dad has horrible timing. He says 'hi' by the way."

I stumbled over my words, "No… um… it's-it's alright. Um… it's late, I-I have t-to go home. Bye." I ran out of his room, grabbed my stuff, and fled to my truck, my legs shaking the whole way.

I drove the entire home, fighting back tears. The road was slick with ice so I had to take extra care. That meant that I had extra time to think over what had just happened between Jake and I.

How could I have done that?! I mean, I liked Jake, but as a friend. Could I have deeper feelings for him that jut that? My heart felt heavy and dark, as though I shouldn't be doing this. It felt right though… I think.

No; it wasn't right. I was just setting myself up for more heartbreak. But Jake wouldn't do that to me, right? No, he wouldn't. Edward had been one of my best friends, but I had just been too stupid to see past his polite exterior. He was a monster set out to destroy my. But I wouldn't let him.

I had Jacob now.

When I arrived home, it was late, and Charlie was, of course, watching the game. He waved a greeting my way but other than that, didn't make any effort to see how I was. I escaped up into my room. I flopped onto my bed and let the tears flow. I wasn't sure how absorbent my sheets were, but I didn't care. My head ached, and my heart hurt, from my recent thoughts. I wanted to forbid myself from ever thinking of _him _again, but I just couldn't do it. His face continued to pop up into my mind. I found myself wanting to run my fingers through his dishevelled hair, wanting to feel his breath crawl against my skin, wanting him to hold me and never let me go.

I shook my head fiercely. That was the old me. That one had fallen for him years ago and had a crush on him for many years. The new me had been crushed by him.

I refocused my thoughts on Jacob, and how we had almost… kissed. I wasn't sure whether I should have been feeling like I was floating, or if I should be completely and totally disgusted. How did something so child-like turn into something much more passionate?

My head ached terribly, I decided to finish my Calculus homework, which took near to an hour to complete. By the time that I had finished, I was exhausted. I lay my head down on my soft pillow and let all of my stress soak into its comfort. I smiled softly to myself. My complicated life couldn't bother me in my dreams.

I quickly fell into a deep sleep.

_I was running. Why; I didn't know. All I knew is that I had to get away and find safety quickly._

_I was running across cool cobblestone, barefoot. My hair was pulled back into a loose, messy ponytail and was slapping me on the cheeks as I ran. My legs screamed at me to stop running but I couldn't. Every time that I began to slow down, a boost of energy kept me going. I didn't look back; I didn't want to._

_I continued to slip and stumble across the damp stone. My feet were bleeding, as were my knees and hands from scraping them against the hard stone numerous times._

_Suddenly, I force grabbed onto my ankle, pulling me down, hard. My ankle twisted and I heard it snap from under the pressure. I opened my mouth to scream in pain, but no noise protruded from my lips. My throat felt as dry as the hot Sahara. I choked on the dryness, making it only worse._

_I looked up at my captor after my coughing fit, and my mouth literally hung open in a silent scream._

_There, standing above me, was a swirl of shadows in the form of a man. I could not tell the gender, but I guessed it to be a male, if I could even call it that. The swirling shadows showed images of death and fear; all of my face. A low chuckle sounded from the shadowed man. I imagined that it was smirking evilly. It lowered it's 'head' to mine, so close that I could follow all of the individual swirls of darkness._

_"At a loss for words, _Swan_?" The creature mocked. I just stared at it fearfully. It laughed loudly, sucking out the air from my lungs, literally. I tried to suck in air to fill my dried out lungs, but it didn't work. My lungs felt shrivelled up and I swore that I could feel them caving in on themselves. I felt my chest heave up and down. More evil laughter filled the air. Specks of black dotted my vision like ink. _

_I was going to die._

I awoke with a start. My hand was clasped over my rapid beating heart. I clutched it harder just to assure myself that I wouldn't stop beating. I noticed that I was holding my breath. I opened my mouth and filled my lungs with the sweet oxygen. I waited for my heartbeat to return to its normal speed.

A bitingly cold wind drifted over my exposed face. The hairs on my arms stood up. I whirled my head towards my bedroom's window. It was open, which surprised me because I knew that it had been closed when I went to sleep. I shuffled over to my window and placed my hand on the frame to close it, but a soft rustling caught my attention. I stuck my head out of the window and swept my eyes over the yard. I saw nothing, but a soft, cool breeze played on face gently. I thought that I could hear it say something but I shook my head and brought myself in again and closed the window firmly.

I staggered back over to my bed, still weary of sleep, and crawled under the covers.

Before I drifted off into sleep, the wind's voice sang through my head, "I'm sorry."

The next morning, I woke up earlier than usual, so I had some leisure time.

I had worn my clothes to bed last night, not bothering to change due to my messed up brain. I took a quick shower, allowing the water to warm my entire body. I threw on some clean clothes and made myself a bowl of cereal. I ate slowly, listening to the puttering sounds of the rain against the side of the house. I finished with twenty minutes to spare, so I decided to take that time to read.

The ride to school was slippery and white. It was snowing, making it hard to spot the road clearly. I made it to school safely and rushed to class, attempting to dodge the little white flakes, and failing to do so.

English class was boring and next was dreaded Calculus.

Oh boy.

I couldn't follow throughout the entire lesson. What was worse was that he assigned so much homework that my brain already hurt from the thought.

The bell rang and everyone hurried to their next class, while I stayed back. I approached the teacher and took a deep breath.

"Um, sir?" I asked sheepishly. He turned to me at the sound of my voice and nodded his approval to continue. "Um… I was wondering if it would possible if I could have some extra help?" I kept my eyes downcast.

"Yes, well, I noticed that you looked a little lost during today's lesson." _A little?!_ "Yes, I can ask one of my senior students to tutor you. Is that what you wanted?" I nodded my head and he continued. "Okay. Well, then, I'll have a senior class next block, so I'll ask someone then. Come to this room at the start of lunch, and you'll have a tutor."

"Thank-you, sir," I said, barely containing my excitement. I actually had a chance of passing Calculus this semester! I went to my next two classes, waiting anxiously for lunch to arrive.

Finally, when the lunch bell rang, I nearly all but flew to the Calculus room. I was so excited that I ran smack into the door of the classroom. My head throbbed painfully and my face scrunched up. This time, I opened the door before trying to step through the threshold.

When I entered the classroom, I searched for my tutor/saviour. I found him, and all of the pain in my head increased ten times.

My tutor was Jasper Cullen.

He was looking at me, a worried expression on his face.

"Are you alright? I saw you hit your head out there through the small window. It looked like it hurt. Do you need ice?" He asked.

"No, I'm fine. This sort of stuff happens to me daily." I answered smoothly. The lines on Jasper's forehead softened a little, but didn't fully disappear. I took a seat beside him and opened my textbook. I pulled out last day's homework.

It figured that Jasper Cullen, out of all the people in the school, would be my tutor. I didn't have a problem with Jasper at all, he was fine. It just was that he brought up painful memories of a certain someone that I really didn't want to think about. Unfortunately, the mere thought of him sent my head ablaze with searing pain and my heart to ache to the point of bursting.

Jasper looked at me again, the worry back. "Are you sure that you're alright? You look really pale." Was he a mind-reader?!

I nodded my head, making the pain in my head bounce. "Yeah, I'm fine. It'll pass... eventually," I lied.

Jasper didn't believe me, but he turned his attention to my textbook. "Okay, let me see your work." I handed him my homework and he read over it quickly, his face scrunching up as though he had eaten something sour. "No wonder you need a tutor. All of this," he pointed to the questions that Jacob had helped me with, "is completely wrong. You've been doing the wrong formula." Apparently, Jacob wasn't such a smarty-pants after all.

"That's not my fault. A-a friend helped me with those," I explained.

"Okay, well, take my advice. Don't take your friend's advice on this. That person is horrible at Calculus." A trace of humour filled his eyes. I laughed at that. Jasper seemed to relax after that.

Jasper was really good at Calculus. He cleared me up on last day's lesson, and that day's lesson. We finished up with ten minutes of lunch left to spare. We talked as we walked to the cafeteria together.

"It's funny how you're my tutor," I blurted out, before I could stop myself.

"Yeah, I guess. It was a real surprise to see you at school when you came back."

I laughed. "Actually, it was a spur of the moment decision to come here." Jasper looked at me incredulously.

"Really?! I didn't take you to be that type of person Bella." He wagged a finger in front of my face like one would do to a naughty child. I lunged forward, trying to bite his finger teasingly. I pulled it back quickly and looked at me, surprised. "Me-ow pussy cat!"

I laughed. "What? Are you scared of bleeding to death?" I teased.

"Trust me, I'm not scared about that at all," he answered. "Yeah, we were all pretty surprised to see you, except for Alice. I think that she sensed your presence." I laughed once more. "You know who was he most surprised to see you?" I shook my head. "Edward."

I felt my head spin at the mention of his name. Tension settled in the air.

"Jasper, please don't," I choked out. I could feel the hot tears filling my eyes.

"Bella? Are you okay?" I shook my head. "This is about Edward, isn't it?" He said it in a way that suggested that he already knew the answer. I had the sudden urge to tell Jasper the truth. I nodded my head lamely, the tears spilling over the brims of my eyes. "Bella, don't cry. Listen, I know that he hurt you, badly, but it's not his fault. He didn't have a choice in the matter of what's happened. Actually, he did. He shouldn't have treated you like that Bella, but he's in a hard time right now."

"That doesn't exactly help, Jasper," I told him. I walked ahead of him and ran into someone. I looked up to say sorry, but stopped when I saw who it was.

Edward.

I had the worst possible luck in the universe.

Edward took one look my tear-streaked face, and looked at his brother. He was holding onto my upper arms, protectively. I didn't move away from him, I honestly didn't know why.

"What did you do to her Jasper?" He glared at Jasper menacingly. I glared at Edward.

"You're blaming this on Jasper?!" I asked incredulously. Edward looked down at me, surprised at my outburst.

"Well, you're crying, so I thought-"

"This isn't Jasper's fault! How could you possibly think that?!" My voice raised an octave.

Edward's face was priceless. He didn't expect this at all. "Bella, I-"

"No! This is all of _your _fault! I don't _ever_ want to see you again!" I screamed at him. I ripped myself out of his arms. The hurt in his face made my stomach churn unpleasantly. I ran away from him.

I went to the office and claiming that I had the flu, while avoiding the secretary's eyes. She excused me and I ran to my truck.

Just as I was about to shift the gear into drive, there was a tapping sound on my window. I turned only to see Edward standing beside my truck, wanting to talk to me. I shook my head and put my truck into drive. I pushed down on the gas peddle, and drove off to my house, leaving Edward behind in the rear-view mirror.

When I arrived home, I opened the door to a blood-curdling scream.

**A/N: Bella's teapot lid blew threw the ceiling! A lot happened in this chapter, and hopefully you can all follow along. Please tell me what you thought in a REVIEW! Again, I am SUPER sorry for taking forever to update! By the way, the song that I used for Bella and Jacob is awesome! It describes them SO well! Check it out!**


	24. How Long Exactly?

**A/N: Good cliffy last chapter, huh? Well, you'll find out the reason for that in this chapter. Get ready for a surprise! Sorry for the LONG wait. Hopefully this chapter will be worth the wait.**

_**Disclaimer: **_**I own copies of the Twilight Saga, but I'm not the writer, unfortunately. **

**Chapter 23**

**How Long Exactly?**

**BPOV**

I was extremely close to making a run for it out of the front door, but my legs were jell-o. It also didn't help that my ears were practically bleeding from the sonic high-pitched squeal coming from in front of me. I threw my hands up to cover my poor ears. I closed my eyes tight, trying to shut it all out.

Suddenly, all of the air in my lungs was pushed out by a shear force. My eyes bugged out.

Just as soon as it came, I was released. I filled my lungs with sweet oxygen. I clasped my racing heart, begging it to slow its pace back to normal.

The squealing still hadn't ceased. My ears were almost numb to the sound. I was staring at my feet, so I brought my gaze up, curious as to what could possibly have invaded my house.

What I found made my jaw drop.

Standing in front of me, jumping and clapping her hands, was Jessica. She looked at me with expectant eyes, obviously waiting for me to squeal as well.

"But how…?" Was all I could manage.

"I begged my parents for a plane ticket; and you _know_ how they're putty in my hands. But anyways, I hopped a plane, and voila!" She finished, spreading out her arms wide, beckoning me in. I stayed where I was, still confused.

"But how… I mean… why?"

Jessica sighed. Her lower lip jutted out, giving her the appearance of a two-year-old. "Is that how you're really going to welcome your best friend?" I arched my eyebrow in question. "Gosh! You are so annoying!" She whined. "Fine. I missed you, okay? Now can I have a hug?"

My lips broke out into a smile. I couldn't resist her childishness. It was honestly one her best qualities.

I accepted her offer, giving her a good, long hug. It dawned on me how much I had missed her. I was an idiot for leaving my best friend, who travelled miles and miles just to see me, in Phoenix, In search of my old friends who had betrayed me. Well, at least _one_ had betrayed me.

I pulled away from Jessica's warm hug, pain overflowing from the hurtful memories. I could feel the stinging tears welling up, threatening to spill. Jessica looked at me, worriedly. I faked a smile and tried to forge a happy tone of voice. "Well, let's go get you settled in. I don't think that you were planning on sleeping in the hallway."

Jessica just looked at me sceptically and said, "Mmm…."

I smiled a little too big and grabbed a one of Jessica's many bags at random. I had to muster all of my strength to just hull the one bag up to my room. I was panting when I dropped it on my floor. Meanwhile, Jessica entered my room, carrying three other bags, without breaking a sweat. I stared at her in disbelief. She saw my astonished look, and shrugged her shoulders.

"Planning to stay for a while?" I asked mockingly.

A smile broadened Jessica's face. "As a matter of fact, yes." My eyes widened. The scary part was that she was serious. Jessica laughed.

"Exactly how long is a _while_?" I asked crossing my arms.

Jessica rolled her eyes. "Don't give me that, Bella." I continued to stare. "What?!"

"What's your evil plan?" I asked, hiding a smile.

"Look, okay, don't get mad but…" she trailed off.

"But…?"

"I enrolled in Forks High School," she mumbled so quickly that I almost missed it. It took a few moments to sink in.

"You What?!"

"Don't worry. I did it legally," she assured me. That was a relief, but still.

"So?! You could have called in advance!" That was Jessica; totally and completely irrational. She went with her gut. When she had the sudden urge to do something, she did it. She rarely used logic, but she always used her heart. That was probably why she was such a creative person, especially in the fashion area.

"But that would have ruined the surprise!" She said a-matter-of-factly.

"Jessica," I said, shaking my head, "What am I going to do with you?"

"Um… let me stay at your house?" She asked, smiling sweetly. I smiled back and nodded. Jessica let out a squeal.

Then a thought struck me.

"Uh, Jess? How did you get inside if no one was home? Did you break in?! If you did, Charlie's not going to be too happy. He's the chief of police here you know? And-" I was cut off by Jessica's giggles.

"You are such a worry wart! Don't worry; I've already met your dad. He was the one who let me in, though he seemed to be stupefied by my arrival, as in surprised stupefied, you know? So I sent him off to buy popcorn. I couldn't believe that you didn't have any popco-"

"You sent Charlie to the grocery store?! Are you crazy?! He barely knows his way around the kitchen!"

"I know that. I did that so that we could have some personal catch up time. See? I can use my brain very well."

I laughed. Jessica always was able to release my stress, which was something that I definitely needed right then. "I've gotta' give it to you, that was a genius idea. We won't see Charlie for a while. Speaking of which, when did you send him away?"

Jessica checked her watch then pursed her lips in thought. "Well I got here only five minutes ago, so he's only been out for a few minutes." I quickly calculated approximately how far away the grocery store was, and added the estimate to how long Charlie would probably be there searching for popcorn. "Good. So we have around a half an hour before Charlie comes home."

Jessica's eyebrows pulled together in confusion. "But that grocery store is only about a ten minutes drive there and back."

"Yes, but Charlie will be looking for the popcorn for at least twenty minutes, knowing him." Jessica laughed and I joined. Jessica stopped mid-chuckle and rushed downstairs. I stopped laughing and just stared at the door. Jessica galloped in a minute later, holding what looked to be a guitar case. I studied it closely. I spotted a tiny jewel butterfly near the bottom of the case, and my heart skipped a beat.

"You brought my guitar?" I asked the surprise overwhelming. Jessica nodded eagerly and handed it out to me. My hands shook so much that I could barely get a good hold on the zipper. When I finally had my guitar sitting across my lap, and pick in hand, I felt at home. A warm joy filled my heart. My guitar was like my diary, I could express my feelings through it. I looked up at Jessica. "But how? I left it in Phoenix, in my old room, in the house that Renée owns, who probably hates me now. How did you get it from her?" I asked awkwardly.

Jessica looked straight into my eyes, her face completely serious. "Bella, your mom misses you. She told me that she's realized how selfish she was to rip you away from Forks all those years ago. When she heard that I was going to visit, she asked me to give you this. Also, she was wondering if you could call her sometime, so that you guys could talk over this?"

I pursed my lips. I wasn't sure if I was ready to talk to Renée quite yet. "Um, maybe in a few days. And if she said anything about hoping that I'd move back, I'm not going to. I've missed Charlie, and I've already made a lot of new friends.

"And the Edward situation?"

I looked away from her eyes. I stared at the smooth wooden frame of my guitar. I didn't like discussing this subject. It hurt to think about it, but I had to, seeing as Jessica needed to know. She was my best friend after all.

"Oh… I see." I nod. She had no idea how bad the situation really was. "You could tell me through music." I looked at her. She was waiting for me to play the song that I had just recently written a song about my situation with Edward. I didn't have my guitar, so the music would be a little bit off.

I sighed. "Fine," I answered. Jessica moved out of my way so that I had room to play. I grabbed my lyrics and music and set up to play.

When I began playing, all of my frustrations flowed out. I put all that I had into the music.

_Do you remember?_

_Way back when,_

_Life was simple._

_When we were the best of friends?_

_Laughs were laughs._

_Smiles were smiles._

_We stood on top of the world._

_But that was before._

_Now you don't see those things,_

_Anymore._

_You abandoned me!_

_In my time of need._

_Do you know,_

_How it feels,_

_To be betrayed?_

_By the one you love._

_The one you loved._

_But you'll never see!_

_How I felt._

_You're a jerk._

_A big old bully._

_Now all I have,_

_All I have!_

_Are these,_

_Horrible memories._

_How far has it slipped,_

_In your mind?_

_How could you forget,_

_All those times?_

_Mud pies,_

_Swing dance,_

_Late night horror movies!_

_Did it mean anything?_

_Is the past forgotten?_

_Have you moved on?_

_Oh!_

_Now you don't see those things,_

_Anymore._

_You abandoned me!_

_In my time of need._

_Do you know,_

_How it feels,_

_To be betrayed?_

_By the one you love._

_The one you loved._

_But you'll never see!_

_How I felt._

_You're a jerk._

_A big old bully._

_Now all I have,_

_All I have!_

_Are these,_

_Horrible memories!_

_How could we have gone,_

_From so close to so far away?!_

_You hide your eyes,_

_Behind a mask._

_You built up a wall!_

_But I can see,_

_Past the disguise._

_You don't fool me._

_You've never fooled me._

_But you don't realise these things!_

_You don't recognise yourself,_

_Anymore!_

_What do you need?_

_Do you know what it feels like?_

_Now._

_No, No, No!_

_You still don't see these things!_

_You still abandon me!_

_In my times of need!_

_Will you ever know,_

_How it feels to be betrayed?_

_By the one you love._

_The one you loved!_

_But you'll never see,_

_How I feel._

_How I feel._

_Now all I have._

_Are these,_

_Horrible memories._

I finished off sadly. Jessica and I sat like that for a few minutes, in silence. Finally, Jessica broke the silence.

"Wow. I had no clue that you felt that strongly about _him_," she said, stunned. I didn't think that anyone did, besides myself that is.

"Yeah," I mumbled. I felt a few tears slip down my cheeks. I let them fall. They splattered onto my guitar, like the beginning of a storm. I choked them back, refusing to cry anymore. I looked up at Jess. "It's called 'Horrible Memories', in case you didn't catch that."

"I caught it," she replied. "Hey, want to watch a movie? I brought your favourites," she prompted, smiling.

I smiled limply back at her. "You know what, Jess?"

"What?"

"You rock." She and I both smiled. I set my guitar down. I looped my arm through Jessica's, and we headed downstairs to watch a movie… without popcorn.

**A/N: I hope that you all enjoy Jessica, because, obviously, she's not going anywhere for awhile. Please don't get the two Jessica's mixed up! There is Phoenix Jessica, and Forks Jessica. I'll be giving them nicknames soon, so don't worry. Please remember to leave a REVIEW! Thanks! You all rock!**


	25. Revenge Will Be Sweet

**A/N: SO SO SO SO SO SO SORRY for the extra long wait!!!!!!!!! My life has been a whirlwind. School, homework, friends, and other things that have taken a large toll on my friend's life. It's going to be okay Tigger!!! :)**

**Important:**** Remember to vote on my poll! I like to know your opinion! Thanks! And thank-you to all of you who have been loyal to me and this story even when I take months to update! You are all awesome!**

_**Disclaimer:**_** I'm not Stephenie Meyer or Bella Swan. *sighs deeply* But I wish I was Bella. :D**

**Chapter 24**

**Revenge Will Be Sweet**

**EPOV**

As I stood just outside of Bella's bedroom window, I couldn't help but let my mouth drop to the ground.

I had hurt her _that_ much?

The cold wind flowed around my stone-hard body. Even though I was permanently frozen, the wind pierced through my thin shirt and chilled me to the bone. I shivered; from the temperature or from the after-effect of Bella's song, I didn't know.

I was a statue for the longest time. I could have been mistaken for a lawn gnome if I was four feet shorter and had a tall, pointed hat. The sky turned from a pale, almost gray, blue, to a light darkness. Eventually, I realized the how much time had passed, and I snapped out of my dream-like state, and ran home at top speed.

Tanya would be wondering where I had gone to. I knew that what I had done to Bella was wrong, but she was my past. I had let the past go. I already had. I had Tanya now.

**BPOV**

The movie was good, cheesy but good. We watched A Cinderella Story with Hilary Duff in it. We laughed at extremely cheesy scenes, and cried at the beginning and end.

Charlie came back about a half-an-hour into the movie, grumbling about not being able to find the popcorn. He used more "colorful" words, but Jess and I just giggled behind his back. We ended up ordering pizza for lunch. It came all the way from Port Angeles, so it was more of a mid-afternoon snack.

Jessica and I talked throughout the entire afternoon. As she said, we needed to "catch-up" even though it had only been a few weeks. I could still remember the day that I left. The pain of forcing myself to leave Jess had been fresh, and my biggest concern. Forks had been my hope. But now, Forks was my prison. Edward was my guard. He was the reason why I couldn't leave. My heart felt bound to find him again.

I told Jessica this when she asked why I wouldn't leave.

"What do you mean by 'my heart feels bound to find him again'?" She asked, confused. "You've found him."

I bit my lower lip, a habit I had taken up. I looked Jess square in the eye and replied, "I need to find _him_ again. The Edward that I knew when I was little. The one that I loved." I gazed out of the window. A light snow had begun to fall. "I know that he's still there, buried deep."

"People change Bella. Maybe the old Edward's gone for good."

I nodded my head faintly. My chin shook hard. I bit back the tears forming in my eyes. "Maybe you're right, Jess. And maybe you're not. But I'm not going to give up quite yet."

"You always were stubborn."

**JessPOV**

Bella snapped her head back to face me. Her eyes no longer held the fraying hope that had been so prominent when I'd arrived. Instead, there was a new fire in her eyes; a burning passion.

"But if he's truly lost, then he'll feel my rage two-fold, now that you're here," She said, with an undergoing layer of pure evil coating her words. I smiled. This was going to be fun.

**BPOV**

Jessica smiled evilly. I returned it.

"When do we begin?" She asked.

"When the time emerges, I'll know." Revenge would be sweet.

After discussing the whole 'revenge-on-Edward-if-he-is-truly-lost' subject, I went into the kitchen to prepare dinner for Charlie, since Jess and I were still full on the pizza. I pulled out some noodles, and a small can of tomato sauce.

When the aromas from the tomato sauce reached Charlie, he came running. He continually sniffed the kitchen air, and sighing contently. He was restless while I stirred the pasta and added spices to the sauce. When I finished, I scooped a large portion onto his plate, and he went running to the T.V to watch the game. Jessica gave me a curious look. I shrugged my shoulders.

"That's Charlie for you," I explained simply. She took a quick glance behind her shoulder to where Charlie was and shook her head.

"You're parents are, um, _interesting_. First partially eccentric Renee, now sports fanatic Charlie. Your childhood life must have been very different from mine."

"I don't mind them. I've lived with them both for a big portion of my life."

"And yet, I got the brother that lives to drive me off the wall," she whined. I detected a hint of jealously in her tone of voice. I giggled softly as we went upstairs to my room.

I pulled out the old mattress that had been lying under my bed ever since the divorce. I blew a thick layer of collecting dust off of the mattress. I placed one of the extra sheets on it, trying to make it look better. I knew that the springs in the mattress would probably hurt whenever Jessica moved in the middle of the night, but it was better than sleeping on the floor.

"Sorry for the horrible sleeping conditions," I apologized. Jessica shrugged it off and continued to unpack her bags. She went about rearranging my drawer space so that her clothes occupied the bottom drawer. She shoved my closet clothes to one side, and managed to squeeze the rest of her wardrobe on the other side.

"So," she began, grunting while forcing her last piece of clothing into the closet. "Are you willing to forgive Renee yet?"

I thought it over for a moment. Jessica _had_ said that she had been sorry. But could my heart forgive another person who had betrayed me? Could I possibly allow another person in, only to let myself be brought down again?

But Renee wasn't Edward, she was my mom.

"Yeah, I am willing to forgive her."

"Does that mean you're going to move back to Phoenix?"

"No," I snapped. "I just got here."

Jessica's shoulders slumped. "But it's so _wet_," she openly complained. I glared at her. I looked at her face, reading through the lie.

I placed my hands on my hips, frustrated. "I know that you're not just making conversation," I accused. "How much did she pay you?"

Jessica threw me a look of what a wounded puppy would give. "She didn't pay me! I honestly came here to see you, but she did ask for me to try." I forgave her. "I wasn't joking about the weather though, it _is_ unnaturally damp here."

I laughed. "To you, a person who's lived in the hot, dry climate all of their life, it is unnaturally damp. To me, it's home." Jessica looked at me like I was crazy.

"What?" I defended.

"You must me your mom's child. You're almost as eccentric as she is," she claimed. My mouth hung open in shock.

"Shut up! I was the one who mothered _her. _Get your facts straight," I finished proving my point by chucking a pillow at her head. For once, I hit the target. Her hair went flying in all different directions. A strand of hair fell directly in-between her eyes, making me burst into laughter. She blew the strand away and proceeded to throw a pillow at me. We ended up engaging ourselves into a massive pillow fight.

We squealed and hid our heads from the incoming force of pillows. Once, Charlie peeked in to see what we were up to, only to duck out when a pillow, off target, came flying at him.

After a while, we stopped to catch our breathes. We both plopped down onto my bed, laughing. We drew in large breaths of air and calmed down.

"You should at least call Renee, you know," Jessica said. I sighed and closed my eyes, knowing that she was right. I couldn't avoid it forever. Sooner or later, I would have to talk to Renee about my actions. I wasn't going to let her step all over me though. I would have to negotiate with her.

"In a few days. I want to enjoy having you around to make me laugh for a while," I cut the conversation short. I glanced at the clock on my bedside table. It was nine thirty and I yet to finish my English for the next day.

I scowled and rolled off my bed. I opened my backpack and pulled out my English homework. Jessica got the message, and read for the hour that I spent bent over a lined piece of paper. I scribbled my thoughts onto the space provided.

When I finished, Jess and I changed into our pajamas and climbed into our beds. I took one last look out of my grimy window. For a second, I swore that I could see a human silhouette perched on the branch outside of the window. I shook my head and looked again. Nothing but darkness greeted me. I switched my bedside lamp off. Darkness flooded my room. I eased my head back until it hit my soft pillow, unharmed from the pillow war earlier that evening.

I fell into the hands of unconsciousness quickly. My dream was completely black, just like my room, and heart. But then the image of Edward appeared about ten feet across from where I was standing. The image that my brain had conjured up was nothing compared to the real thing. It wasn't perfect like him. But in my dreams, his personality was. He steadily walked towards me. When he reached me, his lips pulled up into a genuine lop-sided smile; the one that I adored. I smiled back, unable to contain my joy.

Dream Edward placed his strong, cold hand onto my cheek. He stroked it lightly, his fingers barely brushing the surface of my skin. I felt cheeks flare. His hand tensed and hovered near my cheek. Instead of returning his repetitive stoking, his hand touched down on the side of my throat, where my pulse was beating the strongest. He raised his gaze from my throat to my face, his eyes searching.

His gaze pierced into mine. The connection made my cheeks flare even more so. Again, I felt his hand tense under my skin, but he never broke his brilliant golden eyes from mine.

"Bella," he said. His voice was soft and lovely, not hard and horrid like it was in real life. "I'm sorry." The words that I wished he would say, escaped from his lips. I felt hot tears slip down my cheeks. If only he would say that to me with such sincerity out of the dream world, as he did there. If only....

His image faded, and the tender touch of his cool hand left my throat. I drifted from the blissful dream. A dull buzzing noise filled the silence.

My eyes snapped open. Light was filtering in from my window, declaring that the sun had penetrated through the gloomy clouds for once. I turned around in my bed and hit the 'off' button on my alarm clock. I rubbed my eyes, only to find that my cheeks were stained from tears.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! I know it's kind of a filler, but just wait until the next chapter! By the way, I need at least TEN (10) REVIEWS before I update, okay? Thanks! Also, Thanks to the person who reviews were the 10, 9, 8, 7... etc. I laughed SO hard! :D**


	26. Changes, Solutions, and More Problems

**A/N: Merry late Christmas and a Happy New Year! 2010!!!**

**I realize that I need to clear some things up for you, my loyal readers. I'm amazed that you are able to tolerate me at times!**

**1. I am sincerely sorry for all of the spelling mistakes, grammar errors, and missing words or phrases. I didn't realize that I could edit my chapters before I published them. I was always in a rush, which ended up in confusion for you, I'm guessing.**

**2. I wrote in earlier chapters that Edward's parents died when he was 2, and then in another chapter, I said it was 4. Just to clear it up, Edward's parents died in a car crash when he was 2.**

**3. I also said that Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie were sophomores near the beginning of the story. To clear it up, they were freshmen in high school.**

**4. I am SO sorry for the tense problems (changing from past tense to present tense a lot). I didn't realize this until I read through my story. I am horrible with the tense. I also don't have a beta, so that doesn't exactly help me all that much either.**

**If there are any other questions, fill free to ask me! Thanks!**

_**Disclaimer:**_** I don't about vampires and werewolves and towns named after utensils.... basically, I'm not Stephenie Meyer.**

**Chapter 25**

**Changes, Solutions, and More Problems**

**BPOV**

I pushed the tear stains on my cheeks and the strange dream to the back of my mind. Instead, I rolled out of bed and approached the window. I slid open the pane of glass with ease. I proceeded to poke my head out of the window. Immediately, the winter chill attacked my face, sending goosebumps up my arm.

I looked up at the clear blue sky. The sun shone down on my face and thawed what the winter chill had frozen. It felt good to have the sun warm my face.

I took in a deep breath of the refreshing, crisp air. It filled my lungs and flowed up to my brain, waking me fully. I smiled. I stared down at the ground,which had been covered in a light blanket of snow the night before, was now covered with the morning dew.

The world felt at peace. I wished that I could have frozen time and enjoy the moment forever.

But life wasn't made up of fairy tales.

I ducked back into my room and firmly shut the window. I stared longingly out the window for a few more moments. Then my silent reverie was interrupted.

"What are you staring at?" Jessica piped in from behind me. She peeked over my shoulder and gasped with excitement. "It's not raining!" She squealed happily. I cringed from the volume of the squeal that had penetrated my ear drums.

I slipped past her and opened my closet door, revealing Jessica's clothing. I spotted a deep red sweater hanging near my new white leather jacket. I guessed the sweater to be Jessica's. I took the sweater and my jacket off of their hangers.

"Hey Jess? Can I borrow your red sweater for today?"

"Sure,": she replied. I slipped into my jeans and threw on Jessica's sweater and my jacket. Jessica's head was deep in her drawer. She emerged from her search, clutching a bright purple shirt in one hand, and dark wash jeans in another. She turned to see what I had picked out to wear. Her jaw almost dropped to the floor.

"You like it? Did I actually do a good job this time?" I spun around for her. Her face didn't change it's composure. My victorious smile changed into a frown. "What? Don't you like it?"

"I like my sweater, for obvious reasons. But the jacket, not so much." She made a move towards me, I suspected that she had her eyes on the jacket. I took a step back.

"But you were the one who gave me this jacket," I countered.

Jessica looked taken aback. "I would _never_ give you something as hideous as _that_!" She argued. I was really confused then. If Jess hadn't given the jacket to me, then who did? Charlie wouldn't have wasted his time. Besides, he had already given me a truck and a place to stay. No one else that I knew had access to my room and suitcase. It was a confounding situation. The only other person besides Jessica who had easy access to me was Renee. But the one problem with that solution was that she hadn't known that I was going to leave until I had almost crossed the threshold.

Or had she known?

I made a mental note to call Renee soon. I wouldn't have been able to avoid it for much longer, so I decided to seize the opportunity. I just hoped that our conversation wouldn't end with a yelling fit. That was the last thing that I needed.

"Well?" Jessica asked me, clearly annoyed by my lack of attention.

"What?"

Jessica sighed, frustrated. She thrust her hand out, palm up and open. "Are you going to hand over the jacket, or do I have to resort to my nails and muscle?" She threatened. She made the hand motion that they did in the cheesy kung-fu movies when they challenged their enemies to a fight. I took another step back.

"I can wear what I want to wear. And I want to wear this today, okay?" I stated firmly. For the second time that morning, Jessica looked taken aback, though I quickly passed. A scowl replaced it. She nodded once. I broke out into a smile, victorious. Maybe fighting with Edward had it's advantages after all. I had gained some confidence. "Thanks Jess," I added in. She rolled her eyes and trudged past me downstairs.

"I'll let you wear it today, but don't come crying to me when a hard core biker bad boy comes riding around to kidnap you!" She called up from downstairs. I shook my head and let a out a quiet chuckle. So that was her problem with the jacket? She thought that it was too 'tough' for me. Well, when it came to telling Edward off, it was the perfect thing to wear.

I headed down the stairs to where Jessica was waiting for me. She seemed to have forgiven me. We poured some cereal for ourselves and ate in silence. Once we finished, we grabbed our backpacks and stepped out of the front door and into my truck. The engine rumbled to life. Jessica threw me a frightened glance, but I shrugged my shoulders to reassure her. She took in a deep breath and blew it out to calm her mind.

We listened to the radio on the way to school. Jessica belted out the songs that she knew. Her voice filled the cab and made my ears ring with the sweet music. Jessica was amazing at singing. Her voice was sweet, controlled, and powerful. I knew that she loved to perform for people, I had known since I had met her in the hospital. She had that certain air about her.

I drove into the school parking lot and parked across the lot from the main entrance. I was about to point out the stupid, shiny Volvo to Jessica, but but when I turned to where it was usually parked, I saw only an empty space. I frowned, disappointed that I couldn't brag about my truck to the Volvo owner, who I hadn't yet identified.

I climbed out of the cab and hopped onto the pavement. I began to slip,but caught myself in time. I looked down at my feet and stuck my tongue out at them childishly.

"What the heck are you doing?" Jessica asked, surprised. My head flung up to face Jessica's questioning glare. She had her arms crossed over her chest stubbornly. Humor danced in her green eyes. I knew that look well.

"Nothing...." I said innocently. Jessica rolled her eyes, but the humor never left her eyes.

"You never cease to amaze me Bella," she mocked. She turned and strutted to the main entrance. Jessica enjoyed attention. I rushed to catch up with her. She slowed down, but only because I was her guide.

We picked up Jessica's class schedule at the office. As we left I heard the secretary mutter under her breath, "Two new students in the same year. Now _that's_ a sight." I giggled quietly at her comment. Once we were free of the office, I peeked at Jessica's locker number.

"32?! But that's several halls down from mine!" I screamed in terror. People all around me stopped to stare at me. I blushed furiously and ducked my head. Jessica laughed hardily at my discontent. I normally would have laughed if it was just us alone hanging out, but in front of people, it was just plain out embarrassing.

I quickened my pace. Jessica stopped laughing, and dutifully followed me to her locker. She managed to open her locker on the first try with ease. She stuffed her things into her locker and grabbed her Spanish textbook that she had received from the office.

We then went to my locker, and after I had gathered my things for English I showed Jessica to the Spanish room. We then went over our schedules. It turned out that we only had two classes together; Calculus and Gym. I pouted.

Jessica saw me pouting and patted my shoulder comfortingly. "It's okay Bellsy. At least we still have some classes together... and lunch!" I laughed at her remark. "So... when you introduce me to Edward... can I punch him in the gut?" She asked expectantly. I burst into guffaws, but her face showed no humor, only complete seriousness. My laughter faded.

"You're not kidding, are you?"

"Not one bit," she answered. I felt my eyes widen at that fact. Then I thought it over, and I relaxed.

"You know what? Go right ahead. I'll point him out to you during lunch." Jessica nodded eagerly. I was actually looking forward to lunch that day.

The bell rang. It's shriek reminded me that my English class was on the other side of the school. I rushed off, just making it before the late bell rang. I took my seat and opened my notebook. I quickly scribbled down the notes that had already been written on the board.

Once I had finished with my notes, a piece of paper appeared in front of me. I glanced to my side. Alice sat beside me. She wore a dark scarf around her head and a thick, but stylish sweater. She was covering up her hands as well, even though it wasn't terribly cold. I smiled and brought the note under my desk and opened it safely.

_Hey Bella! I didn't see you at lunch yesterday, where did you go? I was going to talk to you at lunch. -A_

_**I got sick and went home early. Sorry. -B**_

_That's not what Jasper told me. He said that you had a 'little' fight with Edward. -A_

_**If you knew what happened, then why did you ask? -B**_

_I was just wondering. Don't avoid the topic! -A_

_**Technically, the topic is Romeo&Juliet.... -B**_

_Bella! -A_

_**Sorry! Yes, what Jasper said is true. But I've been fighting with Edward ever since I came here. -B**_

_You two used to great friends, why does that have to change? -A_

_**I haven't changed, he has, a lot. He hates me now. -B**_

_No, he doesn't Bella. Trust me. -A_

_**Yeah, Whatever. -B**_

Luckily for me, the bell decided to ring at that second. I got up quickly and rushed out and to my next class. At least I had Calculus with Jessica. But I couldn't focus at all on the day's lesson.

I was so terribly confused, that I felt as though my head would burst at any given second. Alice had told me that Edward didn't hate me, but I had seen the way that he had looked at me. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get the image of Edward's cold, hateful black eyes out of my head. The simple, rational explanation was that Edward had gotten contacts, but I knew, deep in my heart, that _that _wasn't the answer. Those eyes had been real, as real as the golden-brown liquid that they been the day before that. They were as real as his emerald green orbs had been.

For me, the only rational explanation was that the Edward that I sat beside in Biology, wasn't my Edward. The sweet, caring, amazing person that I known all of those years ago, was gone. A monster had replaced him.

And that monster killed the ones that had meant so much to him not even five years before.

The bell shrieked, ending yet another torturous Calculus class. In Spanish, Jessica, Angela, and I handed in our project, and after that, the morning was a blur. Before I knew it, it was lunch.

I didn't have tutoring with Jasper that day, so I met up with Jessica at her locker and we walked to the cafeteria. When we entered, all eyes turned to us instantly. It was just like my first day there, except I knew that everyone was staring at the other 'new girl'. Jessica and I grabbed our lunch and I led her to the table where I sat with my friends. She sat down and I introduced her to everyone. I caught Eric staring at her with some interest, and almost giggled.

Jessica was the center of attention, which didn't bother me at all. I sat back and munched on my salad. Once I knew that no one was really interested in conversing with me, I looked over my shoulder to where he 'Cullen's table' was.

But they weren't there.

Not even Alice was there, and I seen her just that morning in English. The table was completely devoid of life. Not that anyone else in the school seemed to care. No one found it curious that the _entire_ Cullen clan was absent that day. In fact, everyone seemed to be more relaxed without them there. Maybe they were enjoying the fact that they weren't being stared down the entire; watched, like a herd of gazelle about to be pounced on by a pack of famished lions.

I turned around. I decided to talk to Angela about it.

"Angela?" I asked sheepishly, intruding in on her conversation with Lauren, who didn't look too terribly pleased with me. Angela, on the other hand, gladly ended her conversation with Lauren, and turned to face me.

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry for interrupting you and Lauren...." I began.

Angela leaned in and whispered to me, "That's alright. Actually, you saved me. She was trying to pressure me into telling her who I like."

"I get it. By the way, my advice for getting closer to Ben is just talk to him." Angela glanced over her shoulder to where Ben was sitting, and sighed. Ben looked up and their eyes met. I recognized the familiar flaring of Angela's cheeks. She smiled sheepishly at him, and he returned it. She then swiveled her head quickly back around to me.

She muttered under her breath, "He smiled at me." She broke out into a smile. "Thanks Bella. I'll try to do that. Now, what did you want to talk to me about?"

Of course, Angela was the type of person who didn't miss details.

"Um, I was just wondering why no one seems to think that it's suspicious how _all_ of the Cullens are gone today." Angela glanced over to the barren Cullen table and shrugged.

"Whenever it's sunny, their whole family goes camping," she explained easily.

"But I saw Alice just this morning," I countered.

Angela's eyebrows knotted together in confusion. "I didn't see her at all today." She turned to Mike. "Did you see Alice Cullen in English this morning, Mike?" Mike shook his head, uninterested in the topic of any Cullen. Angela turned back to me, still puzzled. "Do you think that they skipped?"

"I was wondering the same thing," I voiced. I didn't really want to talk any more, so I returned my attention back to my salad. Angela picked up the message and dropped the topic. For that, I was grateful. Instead, Angela started up a conversation with Ben. I smiled.

My head began to ache terribly from receiving even more information. I had been there for only about a week, and already so much had been thrown at me. It swirled in my head, jumbling my thoughts and emotions. On one hand, I was jumping for joy that Jessica had decided to fly out to see me, but on the other hand, I was still furious with Edward for leading me on, thinking that he was going to say sorry. I swore that Edward Cullen had more mood swings than the average girl did. He was more complicated than say... a vampire or a werewolf would have been if they existed.

I groaned. Excusing myself from the lunch table, I made my way to the washroom. It was empty, luckily. I turned on the faucet, allowing the cool water to flow freely from the tap. I watched as the water gathered into a small pool in the sink, then I scooped up some water and splashed it onto my face. The water felt refreshing, and it immediately put me back into a state of sanity. I heaved a sigh.

I stood, staring at my reflection, for who knew how long, before Jessica came bursting in the bathroom door. When she spotted me, her face lit up with relief.

"There you are! You left me alone to face off Eric." She twisted her face in disgust, which I could only laugh at.

"Well, at least he's welcoming, isn't he?" I joked. I quickly wiped my face with a paper towel.

Jessica scowled. "Not funny Bella. He's following me around like Mike Newton does to you."

I was surprised that Jessica had picked up on that so quickly. "Where is he now?"

"Outside the bathroom door..." she began. I giggled at her distress with her 'stalker'. "Waiting with Mike," she finished. I ceased my giggling and stared at her, open mouthed. Mike had followed me... to the _washroom_?! "Yep. He left about a minute after you did. Congratulations! We officially have our very own personal stalkers!" She shrieked.

"It's okay, Jess. Let's just make a run for it." Jessica nodded. We quickly exited the washroom and slipped past Eric and Mike to our lockers.

Once we were safe from the boys, Jessica sighed. "If only there was a decent guy out there for me!" She whined. "I mean, how hard is it these days to find a sensible boy that is good looking and can make me laugh and feel protected?!"

I knew exactly how she felt.

* * *

After school, I decided to go to La Push. It was a beautiful day, and Jessica was getting restless from being cooped up in the house.

As I drove along the gravel road down to the La Push beach, I couldn't help but notice Jessica staring out of the cab window. She seemed to be admiring all of the green around us. Maybe Forks had already started to wear off on her.

"You know Bella? This place really is nice. When it stops raining and snowing, the sun seems to light up the entire place," Jessica commented. I agreed with her. At least she had finally started to see my side of things.

I parked along the desolate road and hopped out. Jessica trailed behind me. When she saw the beach, her eyes lit up. The tan sand was soft, and when took off our shoes, it squished pleasantly between our toes. The ocean was a beautiful crystal, clear blue that shimmered brightly in the late afternoon sun. The waves gently lapped over one another as they washed up on the beach. Even the winter wind couldn't penetrate the warm ocean breeze.

Jessica rolled up her pant legs and ran into the salty water until it was up to her knees. She squealed in delight as the cold waves ran around her bare legs. She laughed freely and twirled on spot. I stayed on the beach, but ended up drifting away from the place where Jessica was.

I strolled along the water's edge for a long while, until a husky male voice sounded from in front of me. "Hey Bella!" I snapped my head up to find Jacob rumbling to me. A broad smile graced his face, making me smile too. Once he reached me, he gave me a quick squeeze.

"Hew Jake, how are you?" I asked. He had seemed to have grown even taller since I had seen him last, and his skin was blazing hot. He had cropped his long black hair, taking away a certain essence that I missed. It was amazing how much character could be put into Jacob's hair.

Jacob's smile vanished. "Not so great. Everything's changed, but I'm just happy that one thing is still normal in my life." I had the feeling that he meant me. I was worried about him. What had he meant by "everything's changed"? Sure, he had changed in appearance, but he was still the same Jacob... right?

"What do you mean Jake?"

Immediately, Jacob's face hardened, making him look at least ten years older than he actually was. His dark eyes glazed over with something that I couldn't name. That Jacob scared me. "I can't tell you Bella... it's, uh, personal," he answered. His voice had lost it's huskiness. Now, it sounded almost identical to Edward's. I shook my head. No, Jacob was definitely not like Edward.

"Um, okay then...." I trailed off. We stood there awkwardly for a minute. Then Jacob broke out of his clouded mask, and reverted to his old self again. I smiled.

"Sorry," he said, smiling. "It's just that things are kind of crazy these days."

"Tell me about it," I muttered under my breath. Luckily, Jacob hadn't heard my comment, so he pressed forward.

"Bella," he began, his voice becoming much more huskier than normal. It made my heart thump hard in my chest. I looked up to see his face, and I was caught by his stare. It held something... odd. It was dark and mysterious, but also gentle and knowing. Jacob continued, "I'm sorry for the way that Billy had interrupted us last time." Jacob advanced a step, closing the short distance between us. My heartbeat accelerated. The heat from his skin scorched me, making my breathing go shallow. He leaned in slightly closer, making my breath lodge in my throat. Jacob lowered his voice, now huskier then ever, "I was hoping that we could start off from where he had interrupted us," he finished. He leaned in closer, until our lips were mere millimeters apart. His hot breath tickled my skin.

I turned away.

It was wrong, I knew it. Jacob and I weren't meant to be like that. I had to resist.

"Bella?" Jacob asked in the most innocent, pleading voice that I had ever heard. It made me want to crush him in a comforting hug. But I held back.

"I-I'm sorry Jacob, I can't do this," I confessed. I hugged my arms around my waist, my nails dug deeply into my skin.

"Why not?" I detected a tightness in his voice that made me shudder.

"It just doesn't feel right," I blurted out quickly.

I felt Jacob grab me by the shoulders. He twisted me around harshly. I looked up to him in fear. His carefree nature had disappeared once again. Instead, his face had hardened. His eyes were menacing and passionate. I was scared beyond belief.

"How can it not _feel_ right?!" He shouted. I found myself wanting to shrink back and scurry away. But I held my ground. I yanked my shoulders from his tight grasp.

"It just doesn't!" I shouted back.

"How would you know?!"

"I just know!"

"Then why were you leading me on?!" I heard the underlying hurt in his voice that pained me so deeply. I deserved that pain. I seemed to caused everyone that I loved pain.

"I wasn't trying to!" I argued.

"But I thought that there was something between us!" Jake countered. That was a good blow. I couldn't deny the chemistry flowing between us. But it just wasn't right.

"There's _nothing_ between us! Don't you get it?! I left so abruptly yesterday _because_ I knew that it wasn't right!" Tears formed in the back of my eyes.

I hadn't realized how close Jacob and I gotten. He seized the moment, and roughly pulled me to him. I tried to move away before he got a firm grip on me, but I was too late. Jacob's lips came smashing down onto mine with incredible force. At first, he kissed me roughly, but then his lips softened. Jacob pulled me closer. He knotted his giant hands into my brown hair. He put so much passion into his kiss that it made my head swirl. He moved one f his meaty hands from my hair to my waist, and pulled even closer. I was pressed up so close to him that I could feel his strong muscles pulling me in, closer every second.

My heart was beating like crazy. My brain mistook Jacob's kiss as an adreneline rush. I pulled away for a moment to catch my breath. Jacob took in a deep breath as well. Once I had enough oxygen in my lungs, I kissed Jacob back with great passion.

For a second, I enjoyed it. I embraced the love that was given to me through the warmth and softness of Jacob's kiss. There was a tiny portion of my brain that screamed in protest, and I listened to it. I pulled away. It was wrong. It felt wrong.

"Stop it Jake," I whispered. I felt horrible. I had hurt Jake, and I was betraying myself.

"Why not? You kissed me back. I could feel your enjoyment. I know that you want me to kiss you, Bella; don't deny it!" He shouted. I shook my head. Tears spilled over the brims of my eyes. Jacob huffed a laugh, mocking, evil, and sad. "I know why. You're still in love with that Cullen boy! Well, you don't even know him Bella. He's a filthy leech, _that's _what his is," he spat.

More tears spilled. I clenched my teeth. "Don't you _dare_ call him that!" I screamed. What Jacob had said infuriated me. I pushed my hands forward with all of my might. I caught Jacob by surprise, but still, he didn't move a muscle. Instead, I fell back into the sand. I was balling by then.

It wasn't my fall that had caused me cry so much. It was what Jacob had said. He was right. I _was_ still in love with Edward. I fought with him to get his attention. I pushed him back, hoping that he would pull himself closer to me. I _needed_ him to love.

I hated realization.

At that moment, I heard a sing-song voice come up from behind me. "There you are Bellsy! You abandoned me again, silly." I opened my eyes to see Jessica skipping towards me and Jacob. She hadn't yet noticed Jacob standing there, looming over me like a big rock. She was suddenly in front of Jacob, who hadn't yet noticed her either because he had been too busy glaring at me. He was shaking horribly. It scared me. I tried to warn Jessica to stop, but it was too late. She crashed into Jacob's bare chest.

"Oh..." she began, surprised. She fell to the ground, hard. "... brick wall!" Jacob turned his attention from me, to Jessica. Jessica opened her eyes and rubbed her head. She looked up at Jacob to tell him off, but she stopped herself. Jacob's eyes lit up. He offered his hand to Jessica and she took it gladly, still in a dream state. He pulled her close, and they just stared at each other intensely.

I got myself up off the wet sand and trudged to my truck. I decided that Jessica would be safe with Jacob for a little while. He had another truck that he could drive her back with. Besides, they hadn't even acknowledged my existence.

I drove home in a daze. I was sure that my problems with Jacob had just been cleared up. And I was overjoyed that they had, but new problems had been presented that late afternoon. I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with Edward Cullen, and because of it, I would kill my heart. He had Tanya now, he hated me.

I was an idiot for even coming back to Forks.

**A/N: Please REVIEW!!! It'll be your Christmas gift from you to me, and this chapter is your Christmas gift from me to you. See how it all ties up? Thanks for reading!**


	27. A Late Night

**A/N: SORRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My life is a whirlwind! I have a math midterm coming up, projects, tests, birthday's, homework, comforting a dear friend (keep holding on Tigger!), and trying to pull through life. Don't worry though, this chapter is worth the LONG wait! Thanks for never giving up on me, my loyal readers! :D**

**P.S. I know I promised to spell check and look at the tense, but I have no extra time, so I'm sorry for all of the errors!**

**Chapter 26**

**A Late Night**

**BPOV**

I continued to let the phone ring... and ring... and ring. Finally, Jessica's voice filled the speakers. But, just like the past three times, it was her voice-mail. I grumbled nastily under my breath. _Why wasn't she answering her cell?!_

I checked the clock once again. Ten thirty. She'd been at Jacob's house for hours! It was getting dark outside, and the snow had picked up steadily in the past hour or so. Large, fluffy snowflakes fell from the clouded night sky. The wind howled, seemingly mocking me. The once beautiful, sunny day had suddenly turned into a blizzard.

Charlie had gone to bed early that night, claiming that he'd had a hard day at work. He didn't bother to order me to bed because he knew of my concern for Jessica. For that, I was grateful.

I had considered driving out to La Push, but thought better of it. In the extreme weather conditions, I knew that my truck wouldn't last the drive down the road.

I was about give up when I heard a soft vibrating noise coming from my backpack. I unzipped the front pocket and pulled out a sleek, silver cell phone. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion as to why I had a cell phone in my backpack. Then I remembered hat Jessica insisted that she buy me a cell phone before I left Phoenix. I had completely forgotten it in my backpack the entire time. I flipped it open and held the device to my ear.

"I am _so_ sorry Bella! I should have called, but the lines are dead out here and I just finished charging my cell phone, and..." Jessica babbled. I heaved a sigh of relief as I collapsed onto the couch.

"I'm just glad that you're safe, Jess. But next time, try to have to decency to call _before_ the lines are cut," I lectured her. I usually mothered most of the people in my life. I had always been somewhat of an older soul.

"I know, I know. I just lost track of time. But don't worry about me; Jake drove me over to his friend Emily's place to stay the night. I'm here right now in-" But I cut her off rudely.

"He _drove _you there?! In this blizzard?!" I fumed. I was going to Jacob a piece of my mind the next time that I saw him.

"It was a short, two minute drive. He would have made the trip to your house, but it would have been too dangerous, and he was just worrying about my safety. And after he dropped me off, he went straight back home. " I tuned Jessica out for a minute as I grabbed a glass of water. The cool liquid quenched my worries. Jessica continued to babble on, but I only caught a few words. Finally, she seemed to take a breath.

"Done yet?" I asked her sarcastically.

"Almost. I have one more thing to say." I could see Jessica grinning from ear to ear over her news.

"Okay... tell me."

"I think I'm in love!" She exclaimed, giggling furiously after-wards like a young girl. My eyes bugged out of my head and the amount of water that I had just sucked into my mouth, squirted out. I coughed from the surprise. I knew very well that Jessica liked Jake, I could that tell from the moment she set her eyes on him; but I hadn't expected her to fall so fast.

"Bella? Are you okay?" Jessica asked worriedly. I took a deep breath of air to collect myself before I spoke.

"Yeah, I'm okay. You just- um- startled me is all." I set down the glass cup that I had used in the sink. I grabbed a rag from counter and mopped up the water that had spilled from my mouth and onto the floor. I thought that people only did that in movies. Only I, stupid, clumsy Bella could do that in real life.

"Sorry Bella, but it's true. Jake is amazing!" I detected a trace of dreaminess leaking from her voice. "He's kind, strong, funny, and gorgeous!"

"Really?" I asked. Jake had changed in my eyes. He wasn't fun-loving anymore. Not that I had known him for long... but still. There was something wrong about the way he held himself. Was he in pain? Was he doing drugs? But then again, Jacob would never do drugs. Still, you had to be careful.

"Yeah," Jessica giggled.

"Interesting," I uttered under my breath. "Look Jess, it's late, and I should go to bed. Worrying about you has drained me completely. I'll see you at school tomorrow... right?" I inquired.

"Absolutely. Emily's giving me a ride. Bye Bella!" With that, Jessica clicked off the line. An irritating buzzing noise followed. I pressed the 'off' button and the receiver died immediately.

I surveyed my surroundings. I hadn't even realized that I had walked up to my room. I set down the phone on my desk, and pulled on my pajamas.

As I snuggled under the covers, thoughts about the day swirled in my head. They were accompanied by events from previous days at La Push. One memory lodged in my head, and continually played on....

"_Is there anything more to your legends?" I pouted. There was something else, I could tell._

"_There is, but I'm not really supposed to tell you." His jaw was set, his smile wiped away._

"_Please?" I asked. I batted my eyelashes for effect. Maybe flirting would win him over._

"_Do you have something in your eyes?" Jacob asked. Crap! Apparently, I wasn't very good at flirting._

"_No. Please?" I asked again, letting my lower lip jut out slightly._

_Jacob's face softened. Soon, his usual broad, happy smile returned. "Okay. Like all legends, we have enemies as well. We call them the 'Cold Ones'. There's a rumour that the Cullen's are, they go to your school," he explained even though I already knew._

"_Yeah, I know them. What's the rumour?"_

"_The rumour is that the Cullen's are a clan of 'Cold Ones'. Weird huh?" He said, a chuckle escaping his chest._

It was indeed weird. My brain was awake and alert. I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep, so I flung my legs over the edge of my bed, and shuffled over to my computer. I turned on the screen, which hummed loudly in the still winter night. The bright lights emanating from the computer screen almost made me go blind. I shielded my eyes from the light until they gradually grew used to it. I pulled up the internet and typed in 'the Cold Ones'. 67, 800,000 results popped up. I scrolled down the options until I found one that was based on Quileute legends.

What I read made my blood freeze.

The Cold Ones, according to Quileute legends, were their tribe's own personal enemy. They had white, smooth skin that always rested on a chilly temperature that was inhuman. Their eyes were blood red, the colour of their what their diet was made up of. They lived forever, never aging, always wreaking havoc on the world. They were essentially monsters that only lived to kill innocent human beings.

And they were indestructible.

Except for one enemy. The Quileute. Their tribe had held dear the secret to killing the monsters. Only they could fight them off.

There was one more commonly used expression for the Cold Ones in society...

Vampires.

I exited out of the web page, and nearly fell backwards in my chair. I shut down my computer and, in a dazed state, climbed back into bed. My heart was beating rapidly in my chest, as though begging to escape the horror that hovered over me like a storm cloud. I clutched at it until it returned to its regular rhythmic beating that I was so familiar with. I took in a deep breath, filling my lungs in an attempt to clear my head.

The Cullens couldn't possibly be _v__ampires._ I'd known them since I was little. I'd practically grown up with them. I'd been amongst them as they matured, changed. It was virtually _impossible._ I didn't believe, but I knew that there was something different about them.

There was only one possible solution; I had to confront Edward myself. If I was wrong, then he would probably just brush it off as another attack on him. I convinced myself that it was a good plan, so I lay down and pulled the covers up to my chin. But I couldn't fall asleep. I continually tossed and turned, trying to find a comfortable position.

I glanced at the digital clock on my nightstand. The numbers 1:32 stared back at me hauntingly. I had only a few more precious hours left to sleep, and I was wasting them in wake. I tried, once again, to fall asleep, which actually worked.

I was woken up to slight creak coming from the direction of my bedroom window, but I took it to be a part of my imagination, that I was dreaming very real-like scenarios. I imagined Edward squeezing in through the window, with a rose held out before him. He smiled warmly and my stomach seemed to flutter with thousands of butterflies.

He took the small steps that closed the distance between us, and handed me the rose. I accepted it gladly. I gently stroked it's soft, blood-red petals. A trace of a smile hovered on my lips.

"Bella...." Edward spoke softly, his voice like velvet. It held love, something that I hadn't heard from him in a long time.

I continued to take in the beauty of the rose. I moved to the stem. I was cautious, but somehow, my finger was caught on one of the sharp thorn. I giggled at my clumsiness, and turned to look up at Edward, and gasped in horror. His brilliant emerald-green eyes had turned blood-red, just like the rose petals. His face looked hungry... for blood.

"Vampire...." I breathed. Edward smirked evilly, and began to crawl forward. I felt his icy-skinned hands grab my forearms.

"What did you say?" He asked. I couldn't answer, my tongue had swelled up in my mouth. I could barely breathe. When I didn't answer, Edward icy hands tightened around my forearms and he asked me again, more firmly, "What did you say?" I started to cry. Edward scowled. He shrugged, and leaned forward, slowly. When his face neared mine, he opened his mouth up wide, revealing a pair of fangs. I tried to scream, but all that came out were muffled attempts.

Then I opened my eyes. Just a crack, in case there was actually someone in my room, trying to kidnap me. I kept my breathing steady, but slightly laboured. I hoped that for once in my life, I could be a good actress.

The moon shone in through my window, coating everything with a silver glow that lay in its path. As my eyes quickly adjusted to the faint dimness, I noticed immediately a the silhouette of a man before me. The man had his hand covering my mouth, which explained why I wasn't able to scream in my dream. I restrained myself from biting the man's hand, hoping that he would lose interest, and leave.

I studied the man closer. It was difficult, seeing as I had to keep up my act, and open up my eyes any more. He was broad, but not as broad as Emmett Cullen. He was of average height and weight, in fact he was practically perfect from what I could see. His hair was disheveled and his head was turned to the side, gazing out the window.

He seemed like he meant no harm, but still, I didn't dare move. After some time, the man shifted to look at me. I subtly closed my eyes. I felt his cool hand slip off of my face, brushing my cheek as he did so. I resisted the urge to sigh contently. It felt nice, the way he stroked my cheek, natural.

The man sighed but didn't move. He mumbled rapidly under his breath. I thought that I heard the words 'I can't believe she knows....' and 'how did she....?' escape. After a long period of time, I grew restless, so decided to open my eyes. The moonlight hit the man's face at a perfect angle. Just enough for me to identify him.

It was Edward.

"Edward....?" I breathed. He seemed to arouse from his thoughts and enter reality. When he saw that my eyes were open, his worried expression, changed quickly to genuine shock. "Edward, what are you...?" I trailed off. I didn't dare scream at him what the hell he was doing in my room, at 2:30 in the morning, I might have woken up Charlie; and I didn't need him bursting in, aiming his shotgun at Edward's chest. My life was complicated enough already.

"Bella? Were you awake this entire time?" He asked, sounding impressed. I nodded my head, which only made my confused head pound with more than just confusion. "But why-"

"You're asking me why?!" I rose my nearly inaudible voice to a soft whisper. "How about you answer me why you're in _my room_!" I glared.

"Oh right... that. Well you see, I climbed in through the window to watch you sleep. It's quite fascinating, really," Edward explained simply.

I stared at him like he was crazy. Which he _was_. "And that's not creepy because....?"

"Well, I had nothing better to do-"

"It was a rhetorical question idiot!" I whispered loudly, rolling my eyes. "And you do have something better to do at night; like perhaps, oh I don't- sleep!" I stated sarcastically.

Edward looked surprised by my words. "Oh. I thought you knew. You kept mumbling in your sleep about me." My cheeks flushed a deep red. I _talked_ in my sleep?!

"I talked about you?"

"Yes, about what I am."

"All I remember about it is you being a-a... vampire," I stuttered lamely.

Edward shrugged his shoulders faintly, as though giving in. "Bingo!" He exclaimed. My jaw dropped. He had to be kidding. I should have called the cops- wait, no- I should have called Charlie. Edward Cullen needed to be placed in a protected looney bin.

"Get out," I ordered sharply.

"Bella-"

"Get out," I repeated. Edward's face hardened again, his golden eyes freezing over with hate.

"I'm telling the truth."

"Then I'll send for your straight jacket. Now, get out; or I'll call Charlie, and he'll come in and shoot you without a second thought." Edward still didn't leave. He didn't look frightened by the idea of getting shot in the heart.

"Bullets won't kill me Bella. Nothing can, except for my own kind."

"And the Quileute tribe," I added. I hoped that he would leave, after my crazy statement, but he didn't move a muscle; he only tensed.

"So that's how you found out; the Cold One story," Edward sneered. I didn't like how he treated Jacob's tribe with such intense hatred.

"Get out," I spat each word.

"You don't fully doubt me Isabella." I cringed at the use of my full name. "You know that there's some truth. I can read it on your face. You can tell that my family's _different_, you just don't know how." Edward extended his hand out to me. "Come with me, and I'll tell you _everything_." His offer was tempting, that I couldn't doubt, but honestly, a _vampire?_

I stared at Edward's hand thoughtfully. I though hard for a few minutes, then met his face again. "Get out," I commanded. I said it more gently than I had before, to show him a little sympathy. His face didn't change, but I caught a glimmer sadness behind his eyes. He pulled back his hand quickly and proceeded to climb out of the window. But before his face disappeared, he threw his last words at me.

"Just think. I know you're capable of doing that Isabella." With that he ducked his head out of the window. I listened closely until I heard a light thump from down below. I rushed over to the window and peeked out. He had vanished into the black night, leaving behind, footprints in the snow. I pulled down the glass, cutting off the world, and Edward, from my room. I locked it securely and climbed back into bed, desperate for some sleep.

The idea that Edward was a vampire was the most illogical thing that I had ever heard. It just wasn't physically possible. I wouldn't believe it.

The last thought that drifted through my head before I fell asleep was, _If Edward was telling the truth, then I'm in love with a vampire...._

**A/N: Finally! I finished the chapter! My writer's block has passed, and the creative juices are now flowing again! Yay! I know, bad ending to the chapter, and just before Valentine's Day, but I'll REALLY try to update before Valentine's Day. Please REVIEW! I love to hear what you have to say! Thanks! **


	28. Tell Me What's Changed?

**A/N: HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!! Even if you don't have a boyfriend/girlfriend, know that you are all loved by me! I love you all for reading my story and being loyal to me when I took forever to update. You rock! :D (And just so you know, I myself am VERY content with being single. Though there is this one guy... but, of course, he doesn't know. Sigh, oh well!)**

**Who is happy that the Olympics have started? I am! Seeing as they are in my hometown! Yeah! Go Canada! Sorry... I'm bias, can't help it. :)**

**Who here is going to Vancouver to see events? And if so... which ones? What you did you think of the opening ceremony? Trust me, there was a lot of stress going around here just before the Olympics started.**

**I am deeply sorry for the family, friends, and country of Nodar Kumaritashvilii of Georgia luge team who died during his practice run early in the morning. I cried, when I heard the news, and I am still shocked. :'(**

**Chapter 27**

**Tell me Again... What's Changed?**

**BPOV**

Months flew by. Almost three months had passed since the cold night when Edward had declared that he was "vampire". He was still crazy in my mind. I had considered telling Charlie about Edward's stalking qualities and being a complete psycho, but my mouth clamped shut every time I opened it.

I had called Renee about two and half months ago, and we had talked for a long time. She apologized for what she had done, and I did apologized for what I had done. We ended up crying, but it was content crying. She told me that I could stay at Forks for however long I wanted to. I thanked her greatly, and ended our conversation. Life had since then, fell into a normal pace. Well... normal enough.

I was roaming the halls before school started. I was so used to the small cluster of high school kids, that I thought if I was to move back to Phoenix, I would probably hate the large masses of people. I had forgotten how wonderful a small town was. I knew everyone, and everyone knew me. You could walk aimlessly in the woods without passing a group of joggers every five minutes. It was pleasant. Even Jessica grew to love Forks. She easily became friends with nearly everyone who crossed her path.

Life was good. Except for the one thought that continually tugged at my conscious annoyingly. Whenever I caught a glimpse of him from the corner of my eye, guilt pounded roughly against my heart. It pulled endlessly, as though trying to force me to talk to him. But I held back every time.

I shut my locker with great force, more than I meant. I jumped at the reverberating crash. My actions caused a few stares from tired looking teachers. I blushed and walked away quickly, hugging my books to my chest. I dropped off my things at my desk in English and strolled outside. I had come to school earlier than usual only because I couldn't sleep with Jessica's constant coughing and sniffling. She was sick, just a slight fever, but I wasn't going to take any chances.

Once I stepped outside, a gentle cool wind swept against my cheeks, turning them a bright pink. I pulled on my gloves and began to walk the perimeter of the school. I checked my watch, it was only seven fifty-five; school didn't start for another forty-five minutes. I sighed sadly. I could have still been sleeping snugly in my bed if only Jessica could get some air through her nose.

The frozen ground crackled from under my feet every time I took a step. It was calming to stroll around in the winter morning. Spring had failed to show it's face yet, but I could forgive it, seeing as it was only mid-February. A few buds had managed to poke out from the ground.

It was breathtaking.

I sucked in the crisp winter air. I openly let the wind flow across my skin, producing goose bumps. The wind lifted stray strands of my mahogany hair and brushed over my face, tickling my forehead and cheeks. I couldn't help but giggle in contentment.

I still wasn't sure how I'd grown so used to the frigid wind brush against my skin. It may have been because of the times mine and Edward's hands had crossed paths. His skin never warmed, even when the teacher turned up the heat drastically. Every time our hands come into contact, I'd catch his golden eyes flit towards my face, trying to decode my facial expressions. Each time, I'd shudder from the sudden cold and recoil from his touch. He'd then faintly smile, something so subtle, that if I wasn't paying attention, I'd miss it completely.

He confused me.

He acted like he hated me, told he was a bold-thirsty vampire, and smiles knowingly whenever I touch his hand.

I was brought out of my deep thoughts when a particularly frigid breeze pushed past me. I shivered and wrapped my arms around myself. I looked up to see where I had wandered off to. I was surrounded by a cluster of tall trees. I looked behind myself to find the school in full view. I was on the treeline. I checked my watch; eight fifteen. I still had twenty-five minutes left before the school day began. I made my decision and ventured into the mossy forest, making sure to stay on a worn path that must have been made years before.

I was immediately overwhelmed by the mass of life that surrounded me. I hadn't been in that part of the woods that encircled Forks yet, and it was teeming with life. Each step announced a new, greener, softer moss than the last. My ears overflowed with the sounds birds' songs, rushing water, and trees swaying in the gentle breeze. Everywhere my eyes swept brought a new burst of colour to my sight. Every leaf, bark, and budding flower that I caressed carried a different texture.

I found myself smiling, and genuinely laughing. I felt calm, free. It was best I had ever felt in months.

Finally, I caught a glimpse of the steadily ticking movement of my watch's hands. It was eight thirty-two. I had let time slip by me, unnoticed. I spun around and dashed back to the school building. I made it in the last second. I took my seat, breathless, but detention-free. Slowly, all of the heavy horrible realities of the world sank back in. My heart weighed in my chest, and my care-free smile vanished from my features.

Alice and I passed notes throughout the entire English class. We talked about each-others' nights, what homework we had failed to yet complete, and our plans for the rest of the week.

_Are you going to the dance tonight?-A_

_**What dance? I didn't know that there was a dance.-B**_

Alice gave me a knowing smile. Hers was pretty and polite, unlike Edward's which was proud and mysterious.

_So I take it that you haven't noticed the posters hanging up on every wall?-A_

Come to think of it, I had. There had been posters flashed in my face every time I had turned the corner for the past two weeks. I just never bothered to take much notice.

_**Kind of.... That's not the point though. Why is there a dance right now? It's the middle of February.-B**_

_It's the Valentine's Day Dance. Today is the 14__th__, silly.-A_

_**Oh... I forgot.-B**_

_I honestly don't know how you could possibly forget about Valentine's Day, but whatever. I suspected it from you Bella, of anyone I know, it would be you. Anyways, are you planning on going?-A_

_**No....-B**_

_Too bad. I'm making you go, whether you like it or not.-A 0:) _**(P.S. That means angel if you don't get it.)**

_**I hate you.-B**_

_I know you do.-A :)_

_**You can't force me to go, you know. I have my rights!-B**_

_Oh, trust me, I think that you'll want to go.-A_

_**What does that mean?-B**_

_You'll find out... soon.-A_

With that the bell rang. Alice took off, graceful as ever, without another word. I stared after her, puzzled. I had no intentions of attending the Valentine's Day Dance. The only people who would be going were couples, and freshmen hoping to get their first kiss. There was no purpose in me going.

The morning quickly passed, and soon it was lunch.

I waited in line to pay for my lunch, a simple salad and water bottle. I wasn't very hungry, I had sneaked in a granola bar and a banana the period before. I scooted into my regular seat, allowing my butt to go numb from the hard plastic. I listened to multiple conversations circling around the table, occasionally pitching in my opinions. But as I looked closer, I noticed that everyone was paired off. Eric with someone from the grade lower, Ben and Angela, Lauren and Tyler, and others as well. I was the only one who didn't have an arm draped over my shoulder. I was the only one who didn't have a goofy smile plastered onto my face. I was the only one who wasn't staring lovingly in someone's eyes.

I knew that it shouldn't have bothered me, but it did. I felt a deep longing inside my chest, aching for someone to aimlessly twirl my brown hair. I felt empty, like I had half of me missing, and I didn't know where it was. I was Little-Bo Peep.

I casually glanced over my shoulder to where Edward and his family normally sat. Emmett was teasing Rosalie who, in turn, playfully whacked the back of his head. Alice was cuddling with Jasper, they were speaking softly, very intimately.

And lastly, there was Edward...

and Tanya.

Tanya was leaning against Edward's shoulder, and batting her eyelashes flirtatiously. She spoke gently, sweetly, as though luring in her prey. Edward stared back at her, almost sweetly. It made my heart break to watch them. Ever since Tanya had moved down from Alaska, she and Edward were inseparable. They spent every waking minute together, except in Biology, where he was forced to sit beside me.

Edward's gaze moved, and fell on me. We just stared at each other for a few precious moments. I thought that he was trying to communicate with me, but it quickly passed, his gaze swept back over to Tanya, who was chattering away.

I hadn't realized that I had been holding my breath, until I let out a disappointed sigh. I turned around to face my friends again. I stood up and threw out the rest of my salad; I felt too sick to even look at it.

I slowly made my way outside. I decided that all I needed was a nice walk in the woods. I let the biting cold wind whip at my clothes, stronger than it was in the morning. As I made my way to the back of the school, I heard voices. I edged around the corner and peeked at which couple I was going to disturb.

Edward and Tanya.

My heart sank at the sight. Edward had Tanya pushed up against the concrete wall. They were making out. And it wasn't the cute little quick pecks either. They were full blown making out.

Edward's hand were cupped around Tanya's face tightly. He ground himself closer each second, as though trying to meld their bodies into one whole. Tanya's eyes was closed, in sweet bliss. She moaned loudly from the touch of Edward's lips against hers. She hands were pressed against his chest, then they roamed to his waist. I watched silently as she grabbed onto his belt loops and pulled his closer. Then the moaning stopped. Instead slurping noises burst their mouths, stating that the were now roaming each others' mouths with their tongues. I almost gagged at the sound, but my sobs stopped me. Sobs ripped through my chest, tearing at my heart.

I had long since confessed my love for Edward to myself, and I could have dealt with that if it wasn't for Tanya. My heart had slowly been breaking ever since she had laid her hands on him the first day that she had arrived. I had managed up until now. This was the last straw.

Finally, Edward seemed to hear my sobs. He ceased his kissing with Tanya and looked at me. Immediately, he threw himself off her and stepped away. He walked up to me, concern written all over his face.

"Bella, this isn't what it seems...." he trailed off. He attempted to reach for me with a comforting hand, but I slapped it away.

"Y-you don't ha-have t-to ap-apologize f-f-for anything," I said shakily. "She's y-your _girlfriend_." Edward winced at my words. "B-but y-you do have t-to apologize f-for b-breaking m-my heart. You kn-knew that I-I l-loved you, b-but you d-don't c-care about m-me any-anymore," I finished.

"Bella, I-" I didn't let him finish. I pulled back my hand and ,with as much force as I muster, slapped him straight across the face. His beautiful face turned from the force of my slap, but he seemed unaffected. Meanwhile, my hand stung like hell. I clutched it, and ran off, backing back my scream of pain.

I sprinted into the woods without a second thought. I heard Edward's protests, but didn't bother to turn around. I knew that he would only hurt me more.

I ran deep into the forest. I ran until I was out of breath and collapsed from the effort. I heard light footfalls from behind me, but I didn't get up. I just laid on the frozen ground, broken. In no time, Edward's footsteps halted beside me.

"Bella-"

"Go away," I shouted.

"I'm sorry that you had to witness that Bella, but I swear that was nothing-"

"Yes it was you _liar_!" I screamed. I pulled myself up and stood at my full height, waiting for Edward's response. He seemed surprised by my strength. So was I.

"Bella if you knew what I was going through you'd understand-"

"What _you're_ going through?! Think about what this is doing to me! You play with my emotions, say that you hate me, then apologize, then go back to glaring at me. And you throw in a _slut_!" I screamed in his face. I threw my hands up in the air, infuriated.

"Bella," he sounded astonished. "You never say things like that. What's happened?" He asked, trying to change the course of our 'conversation'.

"What's happened to me? How about you? Have you even looked in a mirror in the past four years? You're the one that's changed. You used have the most loving, kind-hearted nature of any guy that I knew, but now you're a _monster_!"

Edward's face crumbled at my statement. "I am...."

"And you what else?" I added. "You're right. I've changed too. But I'm stronger than what I used to be. If I was who I was four years ago, I'd be balled up in a corner, clutching my stuffy and balling my eyes out. But I'm here, yelling at you, letting my rage come out like a flood!"

Edward met my gaze, and for a moment he seemed genuinely sad. But then he reclaimed his composure and stood straighter. "No, you still understand Bella! You'll _never_ understand!" I was about to protest but he stopped me in my tracks. "I don't hate you! I've never hated you! I'm a monster! I'll always be a monster! I am a _vampire_! That means that every second I'm near you, I want to kill you. I want to drink everyone's blood, but especially yours Bella.

You blood sings to me, it smells sweeter than I've ever tasted." Edward stood closer to me, closing the gap between us. I was afraid, but I didn't flee. I don't know why, but I didn't run for my life, like I should have. I believed him now that he was a vampire. I had denied it this whole time, but now seeped through the cracks in my heart. "Every time I get this close to you, I want to lash out and slit your throat and just drink, but I don't. I don't because I love you."

Those words rang in my head like sweet honey. _I love you._ He had actually said those words to me. I felt like I was soaring in the air, a majestic eagle.

Edward leaned down slowly, cautiously. He placed one, stone-cold hand on my cheek carefully, making sure not to crush my bones. Apparently vampires could do that easily. I stayed completely still, unable to move. I didn't want to move. This was my fantasy becoming reality. Slowly, but surely, Edward placed his cool lips against my warm ones. I could feel his hesitation, but I didn't care. My head swirled, and felt dizzy. Edward kept me upright, for which I was exceedingly grateful.

Edward kissed my again, and this time I didn't stay still. I kissed him back, passionately. I let all of my love flow from me into our kiss. My hands rose to place themselves against his hard chest. I didn't want it to end, ever. Electricity zapped between us, urging us both forward to deepen the kiss. I begged him with my lips to deepen the passion, but instead forced himself to step back.

I was still dizzy. I felt wonderful, and I wanted to kiss Edward for eternity, but I knew that couldn't happen, not yet. Edward's hands fell to his sides in tight fists. When he finally looked up at me, his face was worried, but I sensed his joy.

"I didn't hurt you, did I?" He asked, concerned. I shook my head. His hard features broke out into a huge, warm, lopsided smile. My heart melted. He rushed up to me and gently pulled me in his arms, kissing the top of my head. We stood there for a while, just soaking in the intimate moment. I breathed in his scent. Cool, warm, inviting, loving. I didn't want to let go, but finally he pulled away, still holding my arms. "Do you want me to explain everything?" He asked. He let go of my arms and took a step back. He held out a welcoming hand.

I knew that if I took his hand, my entire life would change. But this time, I knew it was for the better.

I eagerly clasped onto his hand. He smiled. He pulled me up onto his back. I thought to close my eyes, because I had read that vampires were very fast.

I was right.

**A/N: YAY! FINALLY!!! sorry for it taking so long. I hope that it was worth the wait! PLEASE REVIEW IF YOU ARE HAPPY THAT THEY FINALLY KISSED!!! just wanted to get that cleared up. Tehe! :)**

**Thanks for reading! Happy Valentine's Day everyone!**


	29. Sweet Truth Finally

**A/N: I was very happy the response from the last chapter. Thanks to all of you who reviewed! I hope this chapter explains a few things. A bit of a filler, but incredibly fluffy! Yay! :)**

_**Disclaimer: **_**Nope, still not Stephenie Meyer, too bad. :'(**

**Chapter 28**

**Sweet Truth... Finally**

**BPOV**

Once the cool rush of air stopped hitting my face, I opened my eyes. We were in a small meadow. The grass was still damp from the recent snow, but I could tell that during warmer months, the meadow would burst with colour and life.

I slid off of Edward's back and walked a few steps into the meadow. My legs were still shaky from the intimate kiss that Edward and I had shared. I stopped, scared that my legs would bail out, and turned around, soaking it all in. Finally, I faced Edward, his face smooth and observant. He had been watching my reaction I realized, blushing furiously. Edward's muscles twitched, but he stayed stationery. Then I remembered... blood... vampire...kill..._me_.

I advanced toward Edward. I took his stone cold hand and entangled it with my warm, soft hand. Edward's shoulders relaxed a bit, but they were still alert; always alert.

"I'm sorry Edward. I didn't know-" but he silenced me by placing his free hand on my cheek ever so delicately. I was at a loss for words as he gently stoked up and down my cheek and jaw line.

"Don't be," he apologized. "I'm the one that should be sorry. I never told you what happened to Alice and I. I'm the one who turned my back to you...."

"Wait," I snapped out of my trance. "Alice too? You mean she's a-a vampire as well? I knew that something was up with her, but I thought- Oh! I'm so confused!" I ranted.

"I'll explain everything, Bella," he reassured me softly. Again, I was at a loss for words. The way he said my name, how it seemed to roll off his tongue with ease, how he made it sound so beautiful.... I could only follow Edward's lead as he sat down on the damp grass. Instantly, my butt became wet, and I cringed slightly. In one swift movement, Edward pulled me up onto his lap, holding me close. I blushed again, and his muscles tensed, but still cradled me.

I leaned into his chest, and breathed in his scent. It was cold, but incredibly sweet. Intoxicating really. But it also held an old, familiar scent that I still remembered from four years back. To me he still smelled... human. I smiled into his shirt.

"It all started when you left..."

"You know, you're starting to sound like one of those cheesy movies," I interrupted. I felt Edward's chest rise and fall with chuckles. It felt nice, real.

"As I was saying," he began, a hint of a smile hidden in his voice, "It all started when you left to move to Phoenix. It happened on the car ride home. Apparently Alice had said something to me, that even surprised Emmett. He accidentally swung the wheel, turning the car off the road, and down a hill. Alice and I were badly injured. Actually, we were supposed to die, if it hadn't been for Carlisle. Are you following so far?" He asked me. I nodded. "Okay. Well, you see Carlisle had been experimenting with the idea that he could create a solution that would drown the pain of the burning."

"What does that mean?" I knew that Edward and Alice were vampires but didn't know much else. For instance, what did he mean by..._burning?_

"Our whole family is a vampire clan."

"I kind of guessed that. About the burning...?" I inquired.

"Right. Well, when someone is... _bitten_, their entire body changes. You see, vampires have venom flowing our veins instead of blood. So, when we bite a human, the venom is injected into the human and it spreads, slowly changing them into a vampire. The catch is that the venom burns away the blood. The pain is intense, almost like someone setting your insides a flame. Most people beg to be killed before the transformation is complete," he said solemnly. I looked up to find him staring off into space; the past. I couldn't imagine how it must have felt. I squeezed his hand, and he returned from his deep thoughts.

"Anyways, Carlisle had created this serum that he believed would dim the effects of turning. When we were near death, he rushed over to us. He bit us and then he injected the serum into our veins, hoping it would work."

"Did it?"

"No. In fact, it hurt more with the solution combining with the venom. You see Bella, when a human is changed into a vampire, they stop growing. Completely. They stay the same age for eternity as when they were changed. Alice and I were changed when we were only thirteen years-old."

"But how is that possible? You look seventeen."

"I know. Instead of decreasing the amount of pain, the serum sped up our aging process. In a matter of three days, we were three years older. Our bodies, faces, voices, and organs changed. It hurt. Imagine every molecule of your being being stretched out beyond it's normal capacity. You're life span flying in minutes, hours, days, instead of years. That's why I'm seventeen forever. Physically, at least," he finished. He had wandered back into his memories again, but this time, I let him. I attempted soak in all of the information that Edward had just fed me. I wanted to make an incredibly intelligent comment, but instead what blurted out was;

"So Rosalie's _not_ bulimic?" I asked stupidly. Edward blinked in surprise.

"What?"

"Alice and I used to think that Rosalie was bulimic. We'd hear her throwing up into the toilet after meals, so we jumped to conclusions...." I trailed off. Edward stared at me for a second longer, then burst into pure laughter that ringed delightfully in my ears.

"No, Rosalie's not bulimic. Back when Alice and I were humans, Carlisle and Esme made everyone else eat normal human food. Which, by the way, tastes disgusting to vampires. Vampires can't process human food, only blood, so we have to vomit it up. I guess Rosalie wasn't exactly careful with that." He smiled his crooked grin, and I melted into his arms, laughing with him. I was happy, but I knew that my curiosity had not yet been quenched.

"What else do I not know?"

"A lot." So Edward launched into his explanation of vampires. They couldn't expose themselves to sunlight in public because their skin glimmered like a million diamonds. Their thirst most begged for human blood, but the Cullen's only drank animal blood, making their eyes a golden-yellow instead of a dark red, like every other vampire. All of that, along with a huge heap of other things was thrown at me. My head was filled to the brim with information. A headache would be prominent the next day, that I was sure of.

"But there's one thing that you should know," he said gravely. His tone scared me. "There's a large vampire clan called the Volturi. They're the 'royals' in the vampire society. They make the rules. The one main rule is that no human, under any circumstances, is allowed to know about our kind. If a human does find out, they are killed, along the vampire who released the information. So, technically, including you my life is 'illegal'. You will be killed if they find out. That's one of the many reasons why I didn't talk to you for so long."

Now I felt horrible. If Edward's family was killed, it would all be because of _me_. "Then you should have stayed away from me Edward. You should have kept you're mouth shut." Tears sprang from my eyes. Edward shushed me, and gently wiped away the tears.

"I had to tell you. You would have found out eventually. Besides, I was hurting you by being such a jerk. I hate to see you hurting, especially because of me. That and it was hurting me. I couldn't stay away from you for much longer. I need you Bella. My need to be close to you tramps out my wild thirst." I swallowed a hard lump in my throat as he whispered those things to me. My heartbeat increased. His breath was so sweet, so intoxicating, that I almost slumped against his shoulder from the dizziness. But I had one more question to ask.

"But what about Tanya?" Edward pursed his lips. His gaze hardened. I had the feeling that he didn't neccessarily talk about her. And neither did I, but I had to know. It was the last piece of the puzzle remaining, and I would go crazy if I didn't find it.

"She... she tried to seduce me. She still believes that I'm love in with her. She wants to prove a point." He stated blandly. He held no regret for choosing me over her. But still....

"_Do_ you love her?" I held back the urge to scream. I wasn't going to let him play games anymore. Sure, I might have let that slip when I was younger, and more vulnerable, but any longer.

"No, of course not," he answered, sounding surprised at my question.

"Then why'd you lead her on?"

"I-" he began. But he stopped himself short. "I don't know. She threatened me that if I didn't get back with her, she'd hurt you. I would never let that happen... again. So, I agreed. I'm sorry Bella. I should realized... I could have taken her on, even without the help of my family, and I still would have won. But she's gone now. She fled to Alaska, where she's lives. I read her thoughts."

Oh yeah. And did I mention that he could read minds? Except for mine? Just proves that I was weird, messed up even. I mean, I was sitting there with a _vampire _of all people! I was either crazy, or Renee crazy! Either way, not good.

"Are you sure?" He nodded. "That's a relief. Still, I'm not worth it. I-" Edward's lips cut off my protesting. It was a quick kiss, sweet, reassuring, but restrained. It reminded me of the first time I'd kissed him, back in the airport, right before I left.... "Edward? What had Alice said that had surprised Emmett so much?"

"Emmett said that you'd kissed me, but I didn't believe him."

"No, he was telling the truth. I did kiss you, right before I left."

Edward's composure fell. "I can't believe that I forgot that...." he said, completely bewildered.

"I'm just one, great, big bad luck black hole! I give bad luck to just about everybody I touch! It's _my_ fault that you're a vampire now! Everything's _my_ fault! Gosh, I'm such a horrible person!" I shrieked, a new set of tears staining my cheeks. I sobbed into my hands. Edward pulled me closer and cradled me.

"No you're not a horrible person Bella. You hear me? This was bound to happen. It was my destiny. In fact, if it didn't happen, I probably would have never discovered my true feelings for you. We just have to accept it, embrace it. Come on now; let's just forget about the past."

Edward's words reassured me. My sobbing ceased. He kissed the top of my head. How could everything go from horrible to amazing in just a few, short hours? How did people like me and Edward get together? How come I didn't run? Then, it struck me.

I had loved Edward before any of this had happened. I didn't run away from him because I couldn't. I never gave up because I couldn't. My heart knew that if I wasn't with Edward, life held no meaning for me. I was one half, and he was the other. I only hoped, prayed, that Edward realized this too.

Suddenly, a shrill ringing noise protruded from Edward's pocket. He dug out his cell phone and pushed the speaker button. Instantly, my ears were filled with Alice's furious voice.

"YOU TWO ARE LATE! YOU HAD BETTER GET YOUR BUTTS DOWN HERE BEFORE I KICK THEM TO CHINA! I STILL HAVE TO GET BELLA READY FOR THE DANCE TONIGHT! IT'S IN ONLY THREE HOURS!!!" Edward shut the phone and got up. He held out his hand and pulled me up.

"I didn't think that she was serious about the dance," I said, utterly surprised.

"Alice is _always _serious," Edward stated.

"So she was serious when she said that she wanted me eat her mud pie back when we were eight?" I asked sarcastically.

"Yes."

"No wonder she wouldn't talk to me for a whole day." Edward laughed as I climbed onto his back. He started off. I closed my eyes again, mentally going through the entire afternoon.

As I clung onto Edward's shirt, I wondered, _What will Alice have me wearing for the dance?_

**A/N: ATTENTION!!! THIS IS **_**NOT**_** LAST CHAPTER! No matter how final it seems to ****be, it is **_**definitely**_** not the last chapter. The next chapter will be about the dance. Grudges will arise, enemies will face off. O_o**

**Remember to REVIEW! Thanks! :)**


	30. 1 Girl2 Cupids an Insteresting Evening

**A/N: I know, I know, I'm updating really quickly, but I couldn't hold off this chapter. I love it! Tons off fluff, laughs, and answers! P.S. Thanks to Ethana for your reviews! You rock! :)**

_**Disclaimer: **_**If I was a shape-shifter (wink, wink, nudge, nudge), I could shift into Stephenie Meyer... cool. :) (by the way, that means I'm not SM)**

**Chapter 29**

**One girl, Two Cupids Equals an Interesting Evening**

**BPOV**

We were at my house in a matter of minutes. I climbed off of Edward's back and made my way to the front door. Before I opened it, I looked back to where Edward still was.

"Well? Are you planning on coming in?" I asked.

"And why would I want to do that?" He asked plainly, tilting his head to the side like a curious puppy.

"Because it's the courteous thing to do when someone is standing outside your house," I explained simply. I felt like I was talking to a young child. No, wait, I felt like I was talking to Emmett.

"I don't want to be in there when Alice attacks you. Wait!" he lifted his chin ever so slightly, and I watched as his nose twitched. "As well as Jessica."

My mouth hung agape. Jessica _and_ Alice were waiting for me?! These next few hours were going to be torture! "You're not serious, are you?" I pleaded.

"Nope. In fact, I'd better run before Alice takes up on her promise to turn me into a girl if I don't give you up soon, if you know what I mean." He shuddered visibly. I knew what he meant. I shuddered along with him.

"So I guess I have to go," I stated awkwardly. I hated good-byes. I'd always been horrible at them. I didn't want my time with Edward to end, so that made it extra difficult. I rocked back and forth on my heels for a few seconds, contemplating rushing up to him and squeezing him an intimate hug. But before I could decide, Edward walked up to me and cupped my chin in his hand. He bent down and kissed my forehead. Then, he was gone.

I sighed heavily. Apparently, he was amazing at good-byes. I floated in the front door, stumbling on the threshold. I scowled at myself. Even when I was floating, I was still clumsy.

Making my way up the stairs, I braced myself for the impending doom. Every step I took, new ideas entered my head. Perfume... hair curlers... hairspray... high heels... eyeliner... lipstick... eyelash curler... and a _dress_.

Finally, I arrived in my room. I gulped. Before me were Jessica and Alice. Jessica stood, makeup in hand, and Alice stood with a thick piece of rope in hand. They both looked menacing. My eyes widened, and I made a run for it. But I didn't make it two steps out of my room before I was brutally pulled back by Alice. I landed on my computer desk chair. Immediately, Alice tied me up, tightly.

"Is the rope really necessary?" I asked them.

"Well, seeing as you just tried to escape...." Jessica said.

"And besides, if you are somehow able to struggle out of that hold, I'll catch you before you even make it downstairs," Alice included. "I can show you my true speed, now that you know about us."

Well, there went all plans for escape.

"But Jessica doesn't-"

"Actually, I do," Jessica admitted sheepishly. **(P.S. This Jessica from Phoenix)** I glared at her, though completely taken by surprise.

"How?"

"I'll tell you later, at the dance. Okay?" I nodded. What had Edward not told me?

"Now," Alice said, her serious tone scaring the hell out of me. "We need to get started. Jessica and I picked out a dress for you. And no, you are not going to pay us back. And no, we will not tell you how much it cost so that you can buy us each something worth the same amount," She added smugly.

Alice walked over to my closet and pulled out a dress. A beautiful dress. It was a medium length royal blue dress with a metallic shine to it. The design was amazing. Simple, yet elegant. The two straps holding up the dress were tied neatly at the back. The neckline plunged down quite far (more than I liked), but it wasn't slutty. From there, the dress flowed down nicely in layers.

I was untied, only to get fitted into the beautiful dress. I was then set back down, and retied. Alice played with my hair, tugging at it unpleasantly and then caressing it softly. Meanwhile, Jessica went to work on my makeup. She applied all of my horrors. Amazingly though, she avoided poking my eyes with the eyeliner pencil, unlike me.

Finally, after about two hours of torture, they were finished.

"You can look in the mirror now, Bella," Alice squealed. They were both hopping in place excitedly. I peered into my full length mirror which was nailed onto the back of my bedroom door. The first thing that escaped my mouth was a gasp. "Do you like it?" Alice asked.

"Like it? I _love_ it!" I exclaimed. Standing in the mirror was a beautiful young woman. The neckline of the dress was narrow enough near the bottom that not much cleavage showed. The slightly folded bodice clung at my sides, giving me curves that I didn't know I had. The bottom of the dress flowed down in it's simple, wavy, vertical layers, emphasizing my slim legs. One end of the dress pulled up a little ways above my knee, while the other side ended a ways before my ankle. **(dress included in profile)**

My dark, mahogany hair caressed down to the middle of my back. The bottom of my hair had been curled, seemingly naturally. My makeup made my face glow. My lips were the perfect shade of pink. My eyelashes looked so long, and curved up perfectly. My boring, brown eyes popped out from the background, rimmed with a thin layer of eyeliner, and emphasized by the deep green eyeshadow that blended wonderfully into my eyelids.

My eyebrows had been plucked as well. Also, Alice had taken the liberty to wax my legs, which had not been pretty, but the end result was stunning.

All in all, I looked... elegant? Pretty? Modern? Whatever the word, that was it.

I stared at the mirror for another minute, then turned around to find my room in a frenzy. Alice and Jessica were preparing themselves for the dance, and, to their unfortunate luck, they only had hour to do so. I slipped out of my bedroom, down the stairs and into the living room. I did _not_ want to be in the same room as those two at the moment. That would be scary.

I carefully sat down on the couch, hoping to not wrinkle the dress. If I did-I shuddered- I didn't want to find out. As I waited on the couch, I pondered over the past three months. In that time, Jessica and Alice had formally met, and we had all become very close friends.

_~Flashback~_

_I had decided to wear my white leather jacket to school, despite Jessica's protests. It was lunch, and Jessica was still fuming at me. She slouched in her chair, mumbling something about me being stupidly blind. I ignored her and ate my lunch in peace. Once I finished, I added my empty tray to the slowly growing pile of dirty trays. Jessica followed me in tow, speaking a few words, but obviously still not in the mood to talk._

_I sighed. Fashion. What good did it do? It only tore people apart._

_As we were walking through the halls, a perky voice called for me from behind us._

_"Bella! Wait up!" Jessica and I turned around. Alice was skipping gracefully over to us. Her tiny frame adorned by a simple red blouse and black skirt, but somehow, the way she carried it, it seemed exceptionally stylish._

_"Hey Alice!" I greeted her once she reached us. "What's up?" I was happy that Alice and I had reconnected. There was still the whole issue with Edward though...._

_"Well, I wanted to comment you on your outfit choice today. The dark-wash jeans, loose-fitting top, and form-fitting jacket work really well on you Bella. I especially love the jacket! I'm so glad you like it enough to wear at least twice to school!" She squealed loudly._

_"Um, thanks? I actually don't know where I got it from, or who gave it to me-"_

_"I did silly!" She giggled._

_"You did? But how- I mean- I found it in my room-"_

_"I gave it to you when you first came here. Don't you remember? You slipped it into your back pack, and you probably flung it into your closet, forgetting about it." Alice's lip quivered. Not wanting to make her sad, I nodded._

_"Yeah, now that you mention it, I _do_ remember. Sorry, I guess-" But Jessica cut me off._

_"Wait! _You _gave her that hideous scrap of clothing?!" She yelled in Alice's face. I cringed. I laid my hand on her shoulder, warning her to not advance._

_"Tigger, don't...." I told her. Tigger was my nickname for her. She was always so bouncy, but not at the moment._

_"How _DARE_ you say that! I have _way_ better fashion taste than _you_!" Alice screamed back. When Alice was angry, she had a powerful presence. And it was beyond scary._

_Jessica's eyes widened. Her breathing picked up considerably. She seethed through her teeth. "You little!"_

_That's when all hell broke loose._

_Jessica lunged at Alice, bringing her down. Alice seemed genuinely surprised at her attack, but it passed quickly. Alice took hold of a large chunk of Jessica's hair, and pulled. Jessica screamed, and slapped Alice in the face. She continued to pull though, not affected by Jessica's slap. Alice rolled on top of Jessica, and Jessica did the same. Jessica took a hold of Alice's hair, and pulled._

_And throughout the entire thing, I just stood on the sidelines, watching stupidly._

_Eventually, I came to my senses, and sprinted over to the office. I didn't need my two best friends killing each other. The principal came and broke up the fight. They both received two weeks of detention. Somehow, during their two weeks of detention, they became friends...._

_~End Flashback~_

I sighed. I had strange friends.

Right at that moment, Alice and Jessica came bounding down the stairs. I was mesmerized by their beauty. **(All dresses on my profile)**

Alice's hair was straightened, though it still spiked at the ends. She wore a choker around her neck, with the Cullen crest on it. Her dress looked amazing on her. It was a light, dusty pink that landed right at her knee. The top of it was strapless. The bodice hugged her tiny frame, emphasizing it. There was a thick strap of back lace that gave her a bit of edginess. From there, the dress puffed out just slightly, and flowed down to where it ended. A bit of the same black lace peeked out from the bottom of the dress. Her make-up was flawless as well. She also wore three-inch heels, giving her some height. All in all, she looked elegant, fun, and edgy. It was her.

Jessica looked just as flawless. Her dark brown hair hung in gentle curls. She wore a blood red necklace that was made up of multiple red beads separated by small, silver beads. At the tip was a red crystal cut into the shape of a heart. Her dress was simple but she made it look amazing. It was a black, strapless dress that fell at her knees. At the waist was a thick, metallic, red band, and came together at the back in a small, neat bow. The lower half of the dress was covered in a very thin, slightly red nylon type of fabric that made it so, in the right lighting, the dress gave off a very dark, almost unnoticeable, red hue. The dress flowed out from her waist so well, that it was almost like a black waterfall. She too, wore black high heels, only two inch though.

Together, they made me look like I had just rolled out of bed.

Together, we marched out of the front door. I quickly scribbled a message for Charlie for when he came home. I also claimed that I had left school early because I had been sick. I didn't need him to think that I had skipped class to talk to a vampire for the whole afternoon.

Once inside Alice's Porsche (she had refused to ride to the dance in my truck), I immediately started to bombard Jessica with questions.

"What do mean you know? How did you find out? When did you find out?" I rambled off.

Jessica sighed before placing her hand on my mouth. "First, stop talking. Got it?" I nodded. She removed her hand from my mouth and continued. "Yes, I know that the Cullen's are a clan of vampires. I've known for about three months. I didn't tell you because I thought you knew. I'm sorry."

"How'd you find out?"

"Jacob told me."

My eyes bugged out of their sockets. "Jake told you?! How does he know?"

"He knows because he's a werewolf," she said. Again, my eyes bugged out.

"WHAT?!"

"I know that it sounds crazy, but it's true. Jacob told me when I first met him. He told me everything. The danger, the others, and the Cullen's. Again, I thought you knew." Jessica begged me with her eyes to forgive her. I smiled at her, and she smiled back, relieved.

"So _werewolves _and _vampires _exist?" I asked Alice.

"Yes. I'm amazed you're taking this so well. The both of you."

"Well, I love Jacob," Jessica admitted sheepishly. Her cheeks tinted a faint pink blush.

"And I... lo- know Edward too well. It makes sense, he was one of my best friends before I moved." I blushed. Jessica rolled her eyes, and I heard Alice snort from the front. I subtly kicked her seat. From the rear-view mirror, I saw her smirk.

"So..." I said awkwardly. "Jacob's been a _werewolf _his entire life?" I couldn't imagine Jacob, my sweet, kind Jacob a werewolf. He had always been one of the nicest, smiley kids I had ever known.

"No. He actually turned only a few months ago."

"But why now?"

"Because Bella, when a werewolf first turns, it's happens when he's about this age, and truly angry or upset."

"What made him so upset?"

"You." _Me?_ But what could _I _have done? "He thought that you... _liked_ him. He thought you were leading him on. That day when you almost... k-k-_kissed_." Jessica's face scrunched up at the idea of anyone kissing her Jacob. "He was broken when you left. When you said it was a mistake. That's when he turned."

"Oh," was all that I could say. Now I truly felt horrible. I had made Jacob so upset that he had turned into a werewolf. I had nearly destroyed him! No, I _had_ destroyed him. I thought back to the day when we had nearly kissed on the beach. His glowing personality had died, and had been replaced by an unloving monster.

I gasped.

I had nearly turned him into _Edward_.

Or, at least, the heartless monster he had been just a little while ago. I had been the cause for his turning, and now I had been the cause for Jacob's turning.

"Don't think about it Bella. It was bound to happen any day. He was due to change. Anything could have set him off."

"Yeah," I replied absentmindedly. I smiled at Jessica and she smiled in return. But I truly felt like crying inside. It could have been anything that set him off, but _I _had. It was my fault.

* * *

Finally, we reached the dance. It was being held inside the gym, of course. When we entered the gym, I was amazed. It had been completely transformed. Black velvet hung against the walls, hiding the hard concrete. A stream of gently glowing lights surrounded the perimeter of the gym. Red , 3-D hearts dangled all around, shimmering with glitter. It was almost magical.

"Like it?" Alice beamed. I nodded, mesmerized. "Great! I was the leader of decorating committee. I really like how it turned out."

"Wow," was all that I could say.

Jasper walked up from behind Alice, entangling his arms around her waist, and kissed her neck softly. Alice giggled and spun around in his arms. "Now how did I see that coming?" She commented sarcastically, giving him a large smile.

"Yeah, I wonder," he replied, his southern accent drawing out his words. He winked at her, and she giggled. "Did you see this coming?" He asked, bending down and pecking her on the lips. Alice just giggled, and kissed him back. She then pulled him onto the dance floor and unleashed her craziness.

Apparently, once Alice was turned into a vampire, Jasper and her had started dating. Actually, they were technically 'married' because they would be spending the rest of their days together, immortal. I found it extremely cute. Alice didn't want to go too far until she was done high school, and Jasper had agreed, which had been terribly sweet of him to do for her.

Next, I heard squealing coming from Jessica. I swiveled around to see her wrap her arms around Jacob's neck. He picked her up effortlessly, and spun her around. Placing her back down, he bent down and kissed her passionately. They stared at each other lovingly. Tigger (Jessica) had a goofy smile plastered on her face. Her whole face glowed.

Feeling like an intruder, I faced away from them. Even though she spent almost every other waking moment with him, they still needed their privacy. Besides, they deserved it. If Jessica hadn't showed up, Jacob would be a heartless monster that I had created.

I felt a light tap on my shoulder. I spun around to face Edward. And I couldn't look away. I swear if the building had been on fire, I wouldn't have noticed. Edward wore a simple black tux, but it fit his perfectly sculpted figure so well that he looked like America's Next Top Model, male version. His bronze hair was, as usual, in it's disheveled state. I wanted so badly to run my fingers through it, that my fingers actually ached. I still felt the electric tingle on my shoulder from where his finger had touched it.

Edward was staring at me intently, his mouth slightly agape. I blushed furiously. That seemed to break him from his spell. He took a step towards me and and held out his hand. I placed my hand in his, the electric shock going throughout my entire body. He bent down and kissed my hand softly, his cold lips barely grazing the surface. I shuddered pleasantly.

"You look simply amazing Bella," he said. I was taken away by his velvety voice. It sounded so pure, so genuine. It sounded like the Edward I knew. The one I had missed.

"Thanks," I said breathlessly.

"May I have this dance?" He asked, holding out his hand once again. I gladly accepted it. I prayed that I wouldn't trip over my feet in the two-inch heels Alice had forced me to wear.

We strolled onto the dance floor. Edward turned me so that I was facing him. He placed his other hand on the small of my back. He took the lead, and we gliding across the dance floor. The song that was playing was Breathe by Faith Hill. It was one of my favourite songs.

While Edward and I danced, the rest of the world slipped away. It was only me and him. He never broke our gaze. His eyes were golden. Their warmth washed over me, and I couldn't pay attention to anything else. When the music picked up tempo suddenly, he twirled me under his arm. When I came back, I placed my hands on his hard chest. He adjusted his hands so that they were both on my waist. My hands made their way up his chest, onto his shoulders, and around his neck. For the rest of the song, we swayed, just like that, around in a small circle. We didn't speak at all. As the song said, there were no need for words. All we needed was each others presence.

When the song ended, Edward stopped dancing and I followed his lead. For a few moments all we did was just stand there, enjoying the moment. Edward had a small smile playing across his lips, and I too was smiling. Unfortunately, Edward released his hold on my waist. I untangled my arms from his neck and let them fall limply at my sides. Edward took my hand again, and grazed his cool lips against my warm flesh. Then, he walked away.

**EPOV**

The image of her beautiful face still lingered pleasantly in my mind. Her genuine smile still warmed my heart. Her hypnotizing, brown orbs still seeped into my soul. A soul which I had been certain I didn't have... until then. Maybe vampires could go to heaven, but I never wanted to test that hypothesis. If I was killed, I would lose Bella forever.

As I walked away from her, I felt her pull. Her love was like a magnet to me. We were both opposite poles, completely different, yet fate seemed to always pull us closer.

I had to admit, I was falling in love with Bella Swan. I had known her for so long, and I had never been so close to her. Her merest touch sent me flying. He soft, smooth, warm skin was like a drug to me. I couldn't live without her touch. I always wanted to be with her, to caress her cheek, to kiss her hair.

Was this what Jasper and Alice felt like? Emmett and Rosalie? Carlisle and Esme? Could they feel like this? Could they understand the amazing chemistry between fire and ice?

I reached one of the benches that had been set around the gym edges. My family was there, conversing as normal. Jasper was the first to sense my presence. He felt what my heart was screaming. He looked up at me only to be hit by my emotions full force. So strong was it that he turned away from me, pulled Alice to him, and kissed her passionately. Alice was so surprised. At first, she attempted to pull away, being embarrassed about being in public, but she knew Jasper wouldn't give up. Eventually, she gave in, and kissed him back just as eagerly.

_Edward, knock off the lovey-dovey feelings. It's too strong for me too handle, and I don't want Alice to lose her purity quite yet. Okay? _Jasper thought. I sighed and turned my mind mind to darker things. I heard Jasper sigh, and pull away from Alice. Alice looked like she was seeing stars. She leaned her head on his shoulder and sighed contently.

"Thanks, Buddy."

"Sorry Jasper. I didn't mean to," I apologized. Jasper waved it off.

"I understand. You're in love. Heck, we all are!" Jasper chuckled.

"I'm not 'in' love Jasper," I corrected him. "I'm 'falling' in love."

Jasper snorted, "Sure." Alice just giggled.

I rolled my eyes and turned away from them. Emmett was staring at me goofy. He raised and lowered his eyebrows mockingly. I slugged him in the arm.

"Ow!" He cried. "Rosy! Eddie punched my arm. Kiss it better?" He asked childishly. Rosalie leaned in and kissed his lips instead. "You missed." Rosalie glared at him and then slugged him in the arm. "Ow! Why does everybody keep punching me today?" He whined.

"Maybe because you deserve it, pervert."

Emmett glared at me. "Well, because of you two, I'll have a great, big, purple bruise there tomorrow." Rosalie rolled her eyes.

"Hon, we're vamps. We can't get bruises," she whispered.

"Oh," he replied. "Anyways, I see our Eddie is falling _hard_ for the Miss Bella Swan!" He whooped. "Up top!" He raised his hand, but I didn't smack it. I _would_ have smacked his face instead, but I doubted that Rosalie would have approved of that. "Well, don't me hanging!" he hollered. Rosalie pushed down his arm, and grabbed his hand so that he couldn't do it again.

I looked over Rosalie. Tonight, she wore a long, elegant, red gown. It fell down to her ankles. A red band was placed around her waist, accenting it nicely, and the rest of the gown flowed down her slim figure beautifully. Every golden hair on her head was in place, curled to perfection. Her lips were crimson red, and the rest of her make-up had been applied perfectly.

Sure, she was _pretty_, but she wasn't Bella. After all, her name meant beautiful. And that she was. Every ounce of her being.

"Yeah, well, I just came to talk to Alice," I announced. Alice reluctantly removed herself from Jasper's side, and approached me.

"What is it Edward?" She asked, clearly annoyed that I had interrupted her cuddle time with Jasper.

"I was just wondering if you've had any visions about....?" She knew what I was talking about.

"No, Edward. She's left for good. In fact, she's planning on shopping in Paris next week. Happy?" She raised her eyebrows. Knowing that she was serious, I nodded. She returned to Jasper's side.

I too left. I searched for Bella. Once, I caught a glimpse of Jacob, the mongrel, and hissed. I heard a faint growl from where he stood. But I moved on without even a word. With Bella here, I had gained so much more self-control. If only that was the case with Emmett.

I eventually found Bella sitting on a stone bench outside. The winter air still blew lightly, but I, nor Bella, paid it any mind.

I sat down next to Bella. Instantly, she spun her head in my direction. Her perfect lips broke out into a smile.

"Hey," she greeted. As my reply, I leaned in close and kissed her lips. Careful to restrain myself, I let the kiss last longer than I should have let it. I felt Bella smile against my lips. Once I broke apart, I caressed her cheek, feeling the soft, velvety flesh beneath my fingers. Her blood pulsed under it, begging to me to feed, but I resisted.

"Edward?" She asked, eyes still closed.

"Yes Bella?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Anything," I replied. I pondered on what she could possibly want.

**BPOV**

It was now or never. I opened my eyes, and peered deeply into Edward's golden orbs.

"Can you bite me, please?"

**A/N: Ohh! Cliffy! I know, I'm evil. :) Please REVIEW!!! Thanks! :)**

**P.S. I love that song, Breathe by FAith Hill. It was perfect for this chapter,so I had to include. I know,a little self-indulgent, but aren't we all at times? **


	31. Each Story Has Two Sides

**A/N: Another fast update! Why? Because I love you guys SO much for being SO supportive of my ideas! You all rock! Remember to vote on my poll!!! Thanks!**

_**Disclaimer: **_I don't own Twilight, I'm just in love with Edward. :)

**Previously: **_It was now or never. I opened my eyes, and peered deeply into Edward's golden orbs._

_"Can you bite me, please?"_

**Chapter 30**

**Each Story Has Two Sides**

**EPOV**

_WHAT?!_ I screamed in my head. I tried desperately to read Bella's mind. She had taken me completely by surprise. "_What_?" I asked as calmly as I could.

"Please Edward?" She pleaded staring deeply into my eyes. When she pulled out that face, she reminded me of a lost puppy. Her chocolate brown eyes were perfect for it. She had been using it on me since we had been kids. It was almost irresistible.

"No," I replied harshly. Like I said, a_lmost_. Bella's face dropped, and she looked away from me. I shook my head to clear the thickening fog from it. I felt bad for refusing Bella's request, but it was a subject that we didn't need to talk about. It was the unspeakable topic. I'd had no doubt that it would have popped up sometime in the future, but certainly not so soon.

I grabbed Bella's chin gently, not wanting to break anything, which I was very capable at the moment. I turned her head to face mine. Stubborn, she kept her eyes downcast. I lifted her chin so that she was forced to look me in the eye.

"Why Bella? Why would you ask such a ridiculous question?" I asked her. Her eyes flitted to the side, then down. I let go of her chin, but she didn't move her head an inch. In fact, her eyes seemed sad after our lost contact. I sat there as she thought, trying to find the right words. Finally, after a few minutes, she looked up at me.

"I asked such a _ridiculous _question," she spat. I cringed, realizing just how much I had hurt her with my words. "because I want to be with you," she said simply.

"But you are with me Bella." I took her hand in mine. A spark of electricity flowed through my hand. Bella's eyes quickly peeked at our joined hands, a small smile playing on her beautiful lips. "And as long as you want to be with me, I won't leave you."

"But that's just it Edward. I want to be with you for my entire life. I want to be with you as long as I live."

"Then I'll stay as long-"

"I wasn't finished," she said, placing a hushing finger on my lips. My eyebrow arched in curiosity. "I want to be with you for as long as I live, yes. But even that isn't long enough for me."

"It's not nearly long enough for me either, but that's the course of nature," I said, already knowing where the conversation was headed.

"But it doesn't have to be that way!" She exclaimed. "I don't want to grow old and feeble, while you stay seventeen forever! It doesn't make any sense what-so-ever!"

"It does Bella!" I said, my voice raising just as hers had. "Do you want to be a _monster _Bella?!"

"If it means being with you forever, then yes." Tears welled up in her eyes. She was mad, she always cried when she was mad.

"Too bad Bella, because my answer is still no," I finalized. Her eyes turned glassy. Her face became hard, almost making me think that she had been turned into stone. One, single, hot tear fell from her eye. She didn't even bother to wipe it away.

"Take me home," she seethed through her teeth.

"Not until you see some sense in this matter," I told her. I grabbed her wrist, but she wrenched away from my hold. I knew, and she knew, that I could have easily kept her in my hold. Heck, I could have just as easily swung her over my shoulder, but I didn't. I needed her to trust me.

"Fine, then I'll _walk_ home," she spat. I didn't bother to go after her, no matter how badly I wanted to. She needed to think over her absurd request. She was confused. She didn't fully understand the complications that came with becoming a vampire. She would have to leave _everything_ behind. She would be forced to kill from her undying thirst. She may even kill humans. I shuddered at the mere thought.

I had no doubt in my mind that she would ask for a ride back home from Alice or Jessica. Maybe even the _dog_. So, I entered the woods behind the school, and ran home at top speed.

**BPOV**

How had the evening gone from pure bliss to a screeching nightmare?

Oh, right; my big mouth.

All that I wanted was to spend eternity with Edward. I knew that it be would hard, but I trusted him to help me. I knew that he would help me through it all, and so would the rest of the Cullens.

I didn't understand why he wouldn't change me. He said so himself that he would stay with me for as long as I wanted to be with him. He understood that I wanted to be with him forever, but he still wouldn't change me. Did he not love me as I loved him?

I tried to shake the horrible thoughts from my head. I needed to give Edward some time to think over my request. Surely he would find my choice reasonable... eventually.

I held back tears as I made my way through the large crowd of teenagers dancing. I began running once I caught glimpse of Mike making his way towards me. He was trying to look sexy, but he only made me want to gag. I zig-zagged my way through the crowd, eventually losing Mike.

Once I had made it out of the suffocating crowd, I started to walk home. I had thought about asking Alice to drive me home, but then she would have ask why I wanted to leave so early, and then she probably would have killed Edward. And, even though I was angry at him, I didn't want that to happen. Maybe a punch in the nose, but certainly not death.

It took me a half-an-hour to walk home, but I finally made it. My feet were screaming at me from wearing two-inch heels for half the walk, and then walking bare foot on hard concrete for the rest.

I dug out the spare key from under the door mat, unlocked the front door, and walked inside. I was greeted with cold hard-wood beneath my feet, but I was just glad to be home. I struggled up the stairs, being exhausted from the whole evening's events, and stumbled onto my welcoming bed. It felt so soft compared to Edward's hard, marble skin, but oddly I ached to feel that rather than my mattress.

It was amazing how easy it was to grow comfortable with the cold.

I decided to take long, warm shower to relax my muscles. As much as I loved having Edward hold me, I always ended up so stiff after-wards. Therefore, showers had become my new best friend as of that night.

After I had taken my much needed shower, I climbed into my soft pajamas, and snuggled under the covers of my bed. I knew I wasn't going to be able to sleep for a while, so I pulled out my _Wuthering Heights_ copy, and began reading.

But I couldn't concentrate on even that. I couldn't stop thinking about Edward. Instead of reading the words on the page, I saw the hurtful words from the conversation that Edward and I had only an hour ago. Frustrated, I threw my book at the opposite side of the room, watching it crash against the wall, and landing upside-down on the floor.

Just then, a knock sounded from my window. Actually, it sounded more like a small pebble. My heart soared, knowing that Edward had come to talk to me. I hoped that he had finally come to see my side of the argument. I stepped over to the window, and cracked it open. It squeaked loudly, but Charlie had yet to arrive home from work, so I thought nothing of it.

I tried my best to put anger in my voice, to make him think that I was still peeved with him. "What is it you want?" I spat.

"Please let me in?" Edward said sadly. "It's Edward."

"Well of course it is!" I replied sharply. I searched in the thick blackness surrounding my house for Edward, but there was no light to help me. I had even forgotten to switch on my bedroom light.

"Please?" He pleaded, his velvety voice overwhelming.

I huffed angrily, putting on my act for as long as I could. "Fine, come in," I muttered. I stepped back from the window to give Edward space to climb in. As I walked over to the light switch, I heard a soft 'thump' from where my window was. Despite my state of anger, I smiled, making sure that Edward couldn't see my face.

"Well, that was easier than I thought," I heard Edward say from behind me. Except, it wasn't Edward's voice, it was more gruff, evil.

Surprised, I quickly flipped the switch, and swiveled around. But before I got a glimpse of the intruder, everything went black.

**A/N: CLIFFY!!! I know, I'm pure evil. If you want me to update within a week, tell me in a REVIEW! I've almost reached 300! Yay! Remember my poll!!! Thanks!**


	32. Kidnappers Can Be Pretty Too

**A/N: Please enjoy! :) The song that I listened to while I wrote this is Avenger by Immediate Music. It's works really well with the fighting! Check it out!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight... or the rights to hold Taylor Lautner's hand. :( But I can stare at his picture! :D**

**Chapter 31**

**Kidnappers Can Be Pretty Too**

**EPOV**

I was scribbling furiously in one of my many journals. I had already filled two ever since Bella had moved back to Forks. The first one was mainly about my undying thirst for her blood. The second told about my undying love for her. The third was, so far, about her undying stubbornness.

I honestly did not understand why on earth Bella would freely choose to become a blood-sucking vampire! She would be miserable. She would grow tired of never sleeping, repeatedly attending hight school, and never aging. But worst of all, I knew that she would grow tired of me.

_Edward!_ My head shot up suddenly. My ears perked up as though the voice was approaching me through the air. But I knew it was only Alice's thoughts. Normally, I would have just ignored her, knowing that it would frustrate her. But this time was different. This time, her thoughts were alarmed, and they refused to die down, no matter how much I tried to block them.

In the next second, my bedroom door was ripped off of its hinges, and flew past me, onto my couch, where I had been seated only mere seconds ago. Standing in my doorway was a frantic Alice. She wasn't breathing, showing that she was trully shocked, and/or terrified. Her hair was a mess (a first for Alice), and her clothes were terribly wrinkled. I immediately forgot about my broken door.

"What is it Alice?" I asked worriedly. I approached her, reaching out my hand to rest it on her shoulder comfortingly.

_It's Bella. She's in trouble._

I was already out the front door.

I raced to her house. I climbed up the tree and shot into her bedroom. The light was still on. The bed sheets were rumpled. What I found most strange and terrifying was that her bedroom window was wide open. She _never_ left the window open.

"I should have seen this coming...." Alice mumbled at vampire speed. I spun around to face her. I grabbed by the shoulders and held on fiercely.

"Where is she?"

Alice looked up into my eyes, and looked back down quickly. It was horrible news.

"It's a hunter," she explained.

"Is she... _dead_?" I struggled. Alice shook her head. My grip loosened just a little, but I still held on tight. "But why would a hunter come after her? Hunters aren't allowed to take humans from their homes forcibly," I rambled, confused. Sure, her blood was unaturally sweet smelling, but no vampire would risk a visit from the Volturi for a 'simple' human girl.

"It's not the hunter who wants her Edward," Alice said, scared. Her chin trembled. If she was able to cry, I knew that she would have.

"Who?"

**BPOV**

I slowly drifted towards consciousness. I wished I hadn't though. My head throbbed intensely, and a huge wave of fear rolled over me.

My eyes fluttered open. I suppressed a painful moan, not wanting to alert whatever was lurking near me. I knew from the instant that I had gained even the smallest amount of consciousness, that I had been kidnapped.

When my full vision returned to my eyes, I surveyed my surroundings. I was in what I guessed to be a motel room. And a bad one at that. I spotted patches of mold growing on the ceiling. I also thought that I glimpsed a dried blood stain on the wall nearest me. I shuddered visibly. I didn't want to know what had happened here, even if it had happened years before.

I was lying on the carpeted floor. My hands and feet had been tied together tightly. When I attempted to wiggle in place, the rough ropes rubbed hard against my bare ankles and wrists. My mouth had been gagged as well. It bit deeply into my gums, but not enough that I bled. Still, it hurt.

The bathroom door opened, and out stepped a woman. But not any woman, Tanya.

As I had thought. Tanya was my captor. She obviously still wanted Edward, even though it would _never _happen_._ Still, I didn't know how she could have copied Edward's voice so well.

Tanya's golden eyes flitted over me. She smiled gracefully, and crouched beside me in one swoop. She laughed. Her laugh sounded like bells blowing in the breeze. I couldn't help but stare in awe.

But as Edward had told me, that was how vampires lured in their prey.

"Bella, Bella, Bella," she cooed. I cringed when she spook my name. Even though she appeared to be an angel, I still saw straight through her to her evil heart. Tanya sighed. "You don't know when to give up, do you?" She asked mockingly. She glanced again at my bound hands and feet. 'Tsking' sounds escaped from her lips.

In one fluid motion, she was standing again. She placed her hands on her hips and a scowl appeared on her face. "James!" She cried. The next second, a man was standing at her side, a smug smirk on his pale face. I guessed that he too, was a vampire. And and evil, human blood-sucking one at that. "We don't want our guest here to be uncomfortable, do we?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. Sarcasm dripped from her words like honey on a stick.

"Certainly, Ms. Cullen," he said. He removed the gag from my mouth, and untied the ropes. I gently rubbed my chafed skin. I glared up at Tanya.

"You're not a Cullen," I spat. I jumped up, and stood my ground. Tanya merely laughed.

"Oh how cute! The little human thinks that she can face me!" She burst into a fit of laughter again, but it was fake. She knew that I knew it as well. James laughed along with her. Finally, they stopped laughing, and Tanya took the few steps that lay between us, closing the distance. I continued to glare at her. "Don't tick me off Isabella. I will be a Cullen soon enough. Once I take care of you, of course," She hissed. She spun around to face James, and angrily told him, "And that's _Mrs. _Cullen to you!"

I sucked in a deep breath, mustering all of the courage that I had. "Edward will never take you!" I screamed. Tanya turned around once again to face me. Her features were smooth, like stone marble. It's what Charlie called a poker face. No fear, no smugness, no jealousy. No emotion.

"Oh, but once you're gone, he'll be so desperate and lonely, that he'll come crawling back to me," she stated, as though it was the truth. I was breathing heavily through my teeth now. I was officially pissed off. She could do all of this to me, but using Edward that way? She had just crossed the line.

To her complete surprise, I lunged at her. I tackled her to the ground fiercely. And I had her... for about three seconds. She threw me off of her. My body was thrown across the room. I crashed into the blood-stained wall. To my surprise, it was still fresh. The sticky blood clung to my pajamas, the salty-rusty smell filled my nose. My head swam with nauseating sickness. I breathed in through my mouth, avoiding the stench that threatened to overwhelm me.

James stood in front of me, wearing the same stupid smug smirk. He reached for me, but I ducked just in time. He had obviously expected me to be weak after being flung across the room. But I was strong-willed, when my life was at stake. Heck, I could even balanced if it saved my life... I think. He growled, but this time, I took action. I clenched my fist and swung at his jaw. His whole head turned sharply to the right, a loud crack sounding from his neck. Unaffected, he brought his hands up to his head and returned it to its rightful place, another crack sounding from his neck. I almost gagged, but managed to keep down my dinner. He smirked again, but there was an intense fire burning beneath the surface of his blood red eyes. He needed to kill.

My eyes widened in fear and I attempted to duck under his arm, and make a run for the door. But before I made it to the bed, James caught my wrist, the bone crunching painfully under the pressure. I screamed out in pain. James threw me against the blood-stained wall. He held me back by the shoulders. I struggled in his hold, no matter the amount pain welling up inside me.

Tanya slowly walked over to where we were. Finally, I ceased my struggling, the pain too much for me to bear any longer. James kept me pinned to the wall, the blood slowly seeping it's way through my clothes, and onto my pale skin.

Tanya smiled sweetly, then placed a cold hand against my ribs. Still smiling sweetly, she applied pressure to my ribs. I screamed out in pain as I felt yet another crack. Tanya lay a snow-white hand on James' shoulder. He immediately released me from his hold. I slumped to the ground, clutching my side.

A shadow fell over me. I looked up at Tanya. Her smile sent a fresh wave of pain over me. Her smile was like poison. And when she spoke, her voice dripped with poison. Sweet honey had become deathly poisoning.

"I suggest that you don't do that again, _Isab__ella_. This could have all been avoided, and you could have died in peace, but no, you _had_ to end it with a big bang." She raised her hand, and it came down hard on my cheek. It stung badly, but I bit back the threatening tears. My face would be purple in a matter of minutes.

With that, Tanya walked away from me. She approached James. "Your services are no longer needed. And as for your payment..." She nodded her head in my direction. "You may do with her as you like. Just as long you bite her. Remember, a slow death. It's what she deserves." Tanya came back to me, crouched down, and smiled. "Have fun Bella," She said. I spat in her face. She cringed, and threw me onto the bed. Then, she walked away, leaving me to me death, laughing the whole way.

I winced in pain. James now stood by the bed, smirking evilly. He brought his hand onto my face, stroking it. He moved to my neck, where my pulse beat the strongest. My breath was shaky, and my heartbeat was erratic. That seemed to please James.

"I have a gift for impersonations, don't you agree?" He said smoothly. He did. His voice carried the same velvety tone that Edward's did. My eyes widened, not in amazement, but in fear. "I have some plans for you and me Isabella," he said, his voice returning to its normal gruff state. "I would normally just use you for my own pleasure and then drain you of life, but Tanya seems to think that you deserve a slow, painful death. Unfortunately, when I bite you, your blood won't be as sweet, but I think that I'll survive," he practically growled.

I gulped. He chuckled hoarsely, cocking his head to one side eerily. "I think that I want to keep this place from farther damage," he said, glancing at the blood-stained wall. "So I'm going to bring you to a less... known place." In one swoop, he picked me up in icy-cold arms, and carried me away. I tried my best to kick at him, and and beat on his hard chest with one fist, but he only laughed even more at my failed attempts.

The ride was very short. In less a minute, we were inside a large, spacious warehouse. James dropped me on the hard, concrete floor. My head met the hard surface, and yet _another_ loud crack sounded in my ears, echoing in the large, empty warehouse.

"Perfect," he purred. He reminded me of a vicious animal, teasing it's prey. He stared down at me hungrily. "You know, my little snack before I got you was _yummy _but unsatisfying. You know, only an eight year-old girl. She gave me quite a hard time. I sure do hope that little blood stain comes out of the wall," he growled. _How could he?! A little girl?!_ I whimpered, and attempted to crawl away from him, but he caught my my ankle, breaking it. I screamed and fell flat against the cool concrete. I waited there for death to open up to me with wide-stretched arms.

But it never came.

Instead, a deafening crash, followed by a thunderous growl that filled the night air surfaced from behind me. I turned around from my place on the ground to see what possibly could be happening. Even though my vision was almost completely covered over by a thick blanket of darkness, I could make out seven dark figures.

Two were battling roughly. While three others rushed over to my aide. Three more seemed to be scrounging for something.

The three that came to my side switched on flashlights. The harsh light burned my eyes. Whimpers escaped from my lips. But once my eyes adjusted the light, I saw that the three people nearest me were, Carlisle, Esme, and Alice. Esme lay a comforting hand on my forehead. She stroked my sticky hair. After a short time, she pulled away, and covered her nose. She whispered something to Carlisle. He nodded. Esme apologized to me with her warm, golden eyes, and ran away to help the others. Carlisle, meanwhile, had been working on my ankle, wrist, ribs, and head injuries. Alice stayed back, with her head down, and handed Carlisle supplies. She bit her lip, and if she were human, it would have drawn blood. Her chest didin't rise or fall. She didn't look at me because of the amount of blood pouring from my fragile body.

Biting my lip, I held back screams of pain as Carlisle tended to my ribs. To distract myself, I peered over to where the fight was. I gasped in horror. It was _Edward_ who was fighting against James. James had him pinned against a steel wall by the neck. Edward kicked James in the gut, sending him flying across the room. I wanted to scream at the others to help him, but they weren't all there. I heard snip-its of their conversation. 'Wood' was a recurring word, as well as 'more'. When I tried to shout at them, my voice came out dry, and raspy.

James now held Edward above his head. He threw him up and into a window. Glass shattered, millions of pieces of tiny shards flew out, and dug their ways into my skin. I cringed. Edward fell down and landed on the ground. He struggled to get back up, giving James enough time to tackle him again. Alice, no longer able to stand the aroma of my blood, sprinted to where Edward and James were fighting. She attacked James by jumping onto his back, looking like a little pixie getting a piggy-back ride. Momentarily distracted, James threw Alice off of him and turned back to Edward. But Alice had given him just enough time. Edward tackled James. He called to Emmett, and he and Emmett took a hold of James.

"Start the fire!" I heard Emmett bellow. Instantly, one corner of the room was ablaze with flames. The warehouse lit up with a orange glow. Heat poured over me, making me pant. I ached for the cool touch of Edward's skin against my warm flesh. Emmett, Alice, Jasper, and Rosalie continued on with James, ripping him apart, while Edward sped to my side.

He knelt down beside me and stroked my hair. He cringed at the smell of my blood. I wanted to reassure him that I was fine, and that he didn't have to endure the struggle with himself over my scent.

"How bad is it Carlisle?" Edward asked worriedly. Carlisle said something, but was to fast for me catch it. Edward nodded his head and returned his attention back to me. "I am _so_ sorry Bella," he whispered. into my ear. I tried to speak, but all that escaped my lips were whimpers. "Shh... shh. Don't strain yourself." My body relaxed at his cool, tender touch. Edward stayed by my side for the next few minutes, until Carlisle injected some sort of fluid into my blood.

"Bella?" I rolled my head over to where Carlisle was. "I'm just putting you under until we reach the hospital, okay?" I nodded faintly, knowing that he would see it.

Before I was completely under, I felt Edward swoop me up in his arms and carry me off. I welcomed unconsciousness with open arms. Then, I slipped into a peaceful ,pain-free sleep.

**A/N: I'll update soon! Please remember to REVIEW!**


	33. A Big Decision

** A/N: All that I can say is that I am terribly SORRY! It's been more than a month since I've updated! I've been split between a few choices. I hope that you like what I chose!**

** _Disclaimer: _Twilight? Heck no! I am the queen of fuzzy socks!!! :)**

**A Big Decision**

**Chapter 32**

**EPOV**

My beautiful angel... broken. If could cry, I would have. All that I could do was stare lovingly at my fallen angel as I carried her in my arms at vampire speed.

Finally, we reached the hospital. To keep my human cover, I sprinted at human speed down the last few blocks. Carlisle had 'taken a break' and was back, just in time for me rush in with Bella. We hurried her onto a bed, and she was forcibly taken away from my sight. It took all I could to not run to her side.

So instead, I called Chief Swan.

He had been devastated to come home and find that his little girl was missing. He refused to stop searching until he found her... or the body. Fortunately, that didn't happen.

I told him that I had found her in Port Angeles, bound, with a gun pressed up against her head. I told him that the kidnapper fled, and we lost him. I told him that I had no clue as to why anybody would kidnap his daughter.

It's fortunate that I was an excellent liar.

I paced nervously around the waiting room; and when Charlie arrived, we formed a pattern of sorts.

I heard his reassuring thoughts before I saw him. Carlisle entered the waiting room, a kind smile gracing his features.

"So... is she going to be alright?" Charlie asked shakily. Carlisle nodded. Charlie's shoulders immediately relaxed, but he still rushed into her room to check in on her.

Once the door closed behind Charlie, Carlisle motioned me with his head to follow him. He walked over to his office and began 'sorting' through papers.

_That was a very close call Edward, _he thought. I nodded my head, still dazed from the recent events. _You need to be more careful with her life. It's so much more fragile than you once thought it was._ He lectured. I turned my head and glared at him.

"I know that!" I spat furiously. I made sure to keep my one quiet, but it still held enough sting to make Carlisle cringe. "Do you think that I _wanted_ this?!" I gestured to myself. My chest was heaving heavily as I attempted to keep my emotions in check. I clenched my fists tightly.

_I know Edward. I'm sorry..._

"Don't even bother Carlisle. You should have just let me die when I was supposed to!" I fumed.

_I couldn't just let that happen to you-_

"But if you had let nature run its course, I would be dead. Bella wouldn't be lying on a hospital bed with Charlie crying at her side. I'm not natural! We force nature to change its course! We are _monsters_!" I spun around and punched the first thing that my fist made contact with. Which, of course, happened to be the wall. A loud crunch emanated from beneath my fist. I removed my hand, leaving a fair-sized gap behind it.

_Edward!_ Carlisle yelled. I turned to face him. I felt terrible. Another mood swing. I wondered if that was how girls felt all the time....

"Sorry," I muttered. I kept my eyes downcast. Carlisle's hand clamped down on my shoulder in a fatherly motion. He patted it lightly.

"You have to choose now Edward," he said. I sighed, frustrated. I knew what he meant.

"I know, but each one comes its hardships and dangers. If I left her, she might be safe, but I can't guarantee that. Also, it would tare me apart to leave her. I've known her for so long. She's been a part of my life for years. She knows my deepest secrets, and we've been through so much together. She used to be my best friend, but now she's so much more..."

"I know it's hard son, but there are other issues we must address first."

"Tanya," I stated instantly. "Emmett and Jasper weren't able to track her down?" Carlisle shook his head, looking sad. "I can't believe that she's still out there." Carlisle simply nodded his head.

"She's still a threat to Bella, and you know that," he stated.

"I need to kill her before she contacts the Volturi and tells them about Bella," I told him. Carlisle nodded. "But in order to do that, I'd have to track her, which means I'd to leave Bella."

"But one of the others could track her and kill her while you stay here and protect Bella."

I shook my head. "No, this is personal. First, she threatens to kill Bella, but then she actually attempts to kill her? I'm not her get away with that. She needs to be taught a lesson," I finished. I stormed out of Carlisle's office and down the hall to Bella's room.

_Be careful_, was all that Carlisle thought.

**BPOV**

My head throbbed fiercely. I had tried to smile and comfort Charlie while he had visited me. But now that he was gone, I moaned softly at the empty space surrounding me. My side burned and my ankle and wrist kept shooting up flairs of pain through my nerves, making me want to scream.

I was pretty sure that they had forgotten my pain meds.

After a short while, my hospital room door creaked open, revealing Edward. A fraction of the pain melted away as the full moon's silvery light fell onto his marble smooth skin. He glided over to the cabinet near my bed. He cursed, and fled away. My face dropped at his sudden departure, but he was back within seconds, carrying a new pack full of fluid. He replaced my old one with it. The new liquid flowed into my veins, and soon later, the pain lessened a fraction.

Edward pulled up a chair next to my bed. His cool hand touched my peach skin so gently that I shivered. He continued to stroke it lovingly.

"I am _so_ sorry my love. Your pain is all my fault. If I had been more careful, this would have never happened," He whispered. My heart fluttered joyously when he said _love_. I barely registered any of the rest of what he had said.

"No Edward, it's not your fault. It's mine. If I hadn't come between you and Tanya, none of this would have ever happened."

"_We_ wouldn't have happened, love. If you hadn't taken action, I would have never pushed Tanya away. I should have known that she would have done this. I'm so stupid and ignorant-"

"No you're not!" I shushed him. "Let's come to a compromise, okay?" He nodded. "It was all Tanya's fault for even returning." Edward's lips curled up into a lop-sided smile, making my swoon. He bent down and gently kissed my lips, but pulled back quickly when my heart monitor began to speed up dangerously. His waited until it returned to normal. His worried look changed. Instead, he arched his eyebrow curiously and bent down again. He kissed me once again, sending my heartbeat soaring high. He smiled against my lips, and then kissed me more passionately. My breath failed me, and that's when pulled back. He rested his forehead against mine, his eyes smiling with pleasure.

"It's interesting to know your reaction to me Miss Swan." He chuckled lightly. I smiled as I caught my breath again. Suddenly, his face hardened, becoming like a statue. "I have to ask you something."

I gulped. "What is it Edward?"

"Remember what we were fighting about before James took you?" I nodded. How could I? It had been a major riffle in our relationship. "Do you still want me to turn you?" He asked, eying me for my answer. I hesitated, but nodded. I hoped that he wouldn't get angry. He sat there, for a long minute, thinking to himself. "I'll do it."

My eyes bulged from in their sockets. "You will?" I asked dazed. I wasn't sure if I had heard him right. But he nodded, confirming my doubts. I let out the air that I hadn't realized I had been holding in. Slowly, but surely, a huge smile broke onto my face. Unable to leap for joy, I pulled myself up onto my elbows and grabbed Edward. I pulled him into a fierce kiss. Our lips crashed together, and for a second, my lips were almost as hard as Edward's.

He was surprised, but he got over it quickly. Cupping my face, he kissed me back with just as much passion. We were like that for a minute, just kissing in the moonlight. Finally, I broke away.

"When?" I asked excited. I couldn't help but bounce a little.

Edward smiled. "After graduation."

I whined. "But that's still a whole year away!"

"It's that best time. You'll be out of school, and legal. You can disappear after graduation. We could even get married if...." He trailed off, obviously unsure of my thoughts toward marriage. I giggled lightly.

"Don't worry Edward. But let's wait until the time comes. I have no doubts though that I completely love you," I whispered.

"I love you Bella," he whispered softly, peering into my muddy brown eyes.

"I love you too Edward," I replied.

"Now, it's three in the morning. It's time to go to sleep." I nodded. I felt the effects of the pain meds starting to mess with my brain. Everything became fuzzy. "Good-night love," he said, kissing my forehead before he left.

I sighed contently. After the disastrous events from earlier that night, I welcomed sleep with open arms.

**A/N: I know that it was a short chapter, but A LOT happened in it. You can leave nasty reviews saying how stupid it is to turn Bella, but it must be done. This story is still not done, so if you want me update soon, REVIEW!!! Thanks to everyone who reads my story! **

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	34. Family, Friends, and Forever

**A/N: A quick update! Yay! Songs are on titled in the chapter. They're good songs, check them out! Remember to review!**

_**Disclaimer:**_** Nope, still not Stephenie Meyer. Oh well! I love my life the way it is!**

**Chapter 33**

**Family, Friends, and Forever**

**EPOV**

My smile stretched wide across my face. My eyes lit up with pure, genuine happiness. I burst through our front door and stepped inside with a confidence that I hadn't felt in years.

But my rare state of joy was rudely cut by Rosalie. As soon as I stepped over the threshold, she attacked me with her vicious thoughts.

_You idiot!_ She screamed in her head. My bright smile vanished as I directed my glare over at her. She sat on the couch, watching me intently, waiting for my reaction. A growl ripped from my chest. Rosalie's red, plump lips pulled up into a smirk.

"What do you want Rosalie?" I snapped. She gracefully raised herself off of the couch, and strutted over to me, human speed.

_Don't do this to her Edward. You'll ruin her life_, she told me, almost queen-like.

"I already have."

_No, you saved her life from James and Tanya. She was the one to butt in between you and_ _Tanya in the first place. If you ask me, she deserved it-_

"Shut up!" I yelled. She didn't back down. She placed her hands on her hips menacingly and glared deadly daggers.

_Why should I refrain from speaking the truth? Just because it's an ugly truth doesn't mean it shouldn't be told-_

"It's not the truth!"I yelled in her face. Out of my rage, I pushed her backwards, sending her flying to the opposite side of the living room. She crashed into the wall, leaving a huge dent in it. Her expression was a mix between confusion and anger. I had caught her off guard, which was a hard thing to do with Rosalie. Unfortunately, my rather loud actions caused the entire household to rush downstairs. Emmett instinctively crouched in front of his mate, and snarled at me.

Before we had the chance to tackle each other, Carlisle and Jasper entered the scene. Jasper held back Emmett, and Carlisle held me back. Then Alice and Esme came into the happy picture. Esme rushed over to Rosalie, inspecting her for any damage that I might have caused.

They were all glaring harshly at me.

"Edward, why did you push Rosalie?" Carlisle asked me calmly.

"Yeah man! Not cool! Not cool!" Emmett added from behind Carlisle.

To avoid looking like a fool any farther, I straightened up from my attack-ready position. "She was saying that all of this was Bella's fault."

Carlisle turned to Rosalie. "Is this true?"

"No. I was simply telling the truth," She said gracefully. She picked herself up and brushed off pieces of drywall that had stuck to her designer clothes.

Alice shook her head. "No, I saw you planning on intimidating Edward when he returned from the hospital," she explained. I threw her a grateful glance. Rosalie just glared at her.

"Well now Rosalie, why would you do such a thing?"

"Because I knew that if I provoked Edward, he would make a scene. Though I didn't expect him to launch across the room and ruin my new shirt!" She shrieked.

Everyone just shook their heads in shame. Rosalie had her moments, but she achieved them in very odd, stupid ways.

"Well, now that we're on the topic..." Carlisle began.

"I vote absolutely no," Rosalie stated, crossing her arms. She swept her menacing look around the room, challenging anyone who would think otherwise.

"Why is that Rosalie? What is you reason for not wanting Bella to become one of us?"

"Because she was one who caused all of this trouble. And our treaty with the mutts doesn't allow us to bite even one human, no matter the reason. Plus, the danger has passed, so why should fret for her fragile little human life?" She stated passively.

"Rosalie," I began. "She isn't just any human girl. She's Bella. Remember? My best friend from _my_ fragile little human life? She's been a part of this family ever since we first moved here. She didn't first cause the trouble, I did. If I had looked past the ravenous monster in me that first day, I wouldn't have hurt her. Then when Tanya came, I could have just asked you guys for help to fight her off, but I was afraid and proud. Considering the treaty, we could move to another town. We'll have to in a few years anyways," I explained. Slowly, realization dawned on Rosalie's face. Her face dropped.

"It's not fair," she mumbled to the hardwood floor.

"Why isn't it fair?" Carlisle asked gently.

"Because you're giving her the choice!" Her head snapped up. "Edward, I didn't get that choice. None of us did! My fiancee and his drunken friends raped me and left to die on the streets! I would have rather died than become _this_!" She screamed. Tearless sobs racked her body. She shook uncontrollably. Emmett came to her side. His expression portrayed betrayal.

"But what about me Rose? Aren't you glad you found me?" He asked, visibly hurt by her words.

"N-no Em. I lo-love you. I j-just wish that I h-had the ch-choice," she told him shakily. She turned into is chest and sobbed. Emmett enveloped her in a bear hug and 'shh'-ed her. He rocked her back and forth soothingly.

_Don't do this to her Edward. You said it yourself that you'd rather have died than be a vampire. _Rosalie told me.

"But that was before Bella returned. Now I have something to live for," I replied softly. The rest of the family looked confused as to what our secret little conversation was about.

_Bella right? It's all about precious little Bella now isn't it?!  
_

"No, love. I live for love. I show that through Bella. It's what she deserves. And she accepts it only through me, and I can't stand to see her hurt, so I have to love her. And by loving her, I love my family even more because I understand better." Rosalie withdrew herself from Emmett's hold, and approached me.

_ H_ow _do you not hurt her by changing her?_ She asked.

"I'm protecting her by changing her. Tanya's still out there, waiting for revenge. If I change her, she can fight off Tanya by herself if she must," I told her. She nodded in acceptance. I held my arms open, and she drew into my embrace. To be completely honest, that was the first real brother/sister moment we'd ever had. Every other time was just so that Carlisle and Esme wouldn't ground us for fighting.

"I still vote no, okay?" she said into my shirt, muffling her words. I smiled.

"I know."

**BPOV**

Three months passed.

My injuries healed. During that time, Edward had become extremely cautious around me. He handled me like a fragile china doll... which he said I was.

Also in that time, we had grown closer. Charlie had been so grateful toward Edward and Alice for finding me that he allowed them over at any time. Except Edward wasn't allowed to stay past ten thirty, but then just sneaked in my window and listened to me talk while he played with my hair.

Some nights, he would crawl onto my bed and we would just cuddle. He held me gently, but protectively, afraid that Tanya would pop up at any given moment. Still, it was sweet.

Also, I had kicked Jessica out of my room. She slept on the couch downstairs. Luckily, it was a comfy couch, but that didn't stop her from protesting daily. To which I would respond that she could freely sleep in my room again... if she ceased to talk constantly about Jake. It made her shut up every time.

Alice on the other hand....

She did everything to help Charlie out. She cooked, cleaned, helped to transport me up the stairs, and was his golden little sun when looked at me and frowned. He thought it was his fault that I had been kidnapped, but Alice reassured him every time with either encouraging words... or bacon.

Jessica and Alice were constantly chatting in my ears. They had also become closer through my injuries. They talked nonstop about shopping, fashion, clothes, shoes, and makeup. They debated everyday about cats vs. dogs. Alice had always loved cats, and Jessica had taken to obsessing over dogs (for certain reasons). Their debates were hilarious. I had even recorded one once. I had planned to post on YouTube, but decided not to after Alice threw me one of her famous glares.

In fact, she was glaring at me that instant, as I held up a black dress against my body.

"Don't you dare try that hideous piece of crap on Isabella. Or so help me, I _will _force you to wear high heels to prom."

I looked up at Alice. "Why not? It's cute," I said while twirling around to face the full-sized mirror. I was right. The design was simple and sweet.

"It's too 'blaw' for you Bella," she stated. I looked quizzically at her.

"What do you mean by that?"

"She means that it's cute, but it doesn't flatter you quite right," Tigger (Jessica) piped in from the nearby change room. I rolled my eyes, but returned the dress to the rack.

I sorted through the rest of the rack. If there was one I liked, it was always way too expensive for me. Alice was right behind me, picking out other dresses, completely oblivious to the high prices.

Finally, when I had finished sorting through the rack, I threw my hands up in the air. "I give up! These prices are going to kill me," I exclaimed. I heard Alice 'tsk'-ing from behind me. I turned around to see that she draped some of my favourites over her arm. She held them out to me and pointed at the change rooms. I sighed, defeated, and trudged over to a change room.

I stepped inside and closed the door. I stared at the five dresses draped over my arm. I hung them up and chose the first one. I slipped it on and stared in the mirror. It was pretty. It was a full-length, strapless, light blue dress. The top part ruffled slightly and had elegant beading down the middle. The skirt part flowed down like a water fall with more elegant beading placed all over. I needed more feedback, so I stepped out of the change room.

"No," Jessica and Alice declared in unison. I frowned at them.

"Why?"

"Because it's too light and fairytale-y," Jessica explained. Alice nodded.

"You need something bolder. Something that will make people remember you," Alice told me.

"Something that will make Mike Newton drool!" Jessica said, giggling. I threw her a glare, and attempted to whack her on the shoulder, but she sidestepped it, still smiling innocently. Alice joined her.

I returned to the change room and slipped the next dress on. It was much more bolder than the last one. It was a dark, forest-green, full-length, strapless dress. It had a wide strap that ran across the middle section which was the only added feature to the dress. The design was very simple, but the colour was bold. I stepped out of the change room.

"Too simple," Alice said. Jessica nodded her head in agreement. "The colour is nice and bold, but the design isn't. And the colour isn't quite you."

"Next!" Jessica demanded.

I returned to the dressing room and slipped on the next one. I didn't like it that much. The bright purple colour was nice, but it was too form-fitting for me. It tied in the back and came down with a deep and wide neck line that showed too much. From there, the dress hugged my body and was bedazzled with many gems and then came to a patch of solid purple. Then, it flared out, like a mermaid-style dress, so that I couldn't walk very well. The only reason I could really walk was because of the slit in the front that went up to my knees. It was a pretty dress, but I was too clumsy and shy to pull it off.

"Um, guys I'm not going to show you this one," I called over the top of the dressing room.

"Why not? Doesn't it fit?"

"Yeah but-"

"High heels Swan! High heels!" Alice threatened. I groaned and opened the dressing room door.

"It's a bit showy for me, and I'm too clumsy for this dress," I told them blushing.

"Yeah, your right. Good colour and I like the beading, but you _are_ too clumsy," Jessica finalized. Alice nodded.

I then remembered that I had left my purse on the ground by a rack. I rushed over to the rack full of prom dresses, and breathed a sigh of relief when I found it still lying on the carpeted floor. I swooped down to pick it up, but I leaned over too far and found myself falling instead. But before my face made a lasting impression on the carpet, a pair of arms caught me.

They weren't Edward's.

When I regained my balance, I saw that Mike Newton was standing in front of me, gawking at the dress. His eyes scanned from the bottom upwards. He rested his eyes on my nearly exposed chest. I found myself blushing furiously.

"Um, hi Mike. Thanks for -uh- catching me. What are you doing here?" I asked while I attempted to cover myself up with my small purse. It didn't work.

Without removing his eyes from my chest he replied, "I'm here with my mom on errands. She needs a dress for a party."

"Oh," was all I said. I stood there awkwardly for a moment until my brain began to work again and I had the sense to walk away.

But before I was a foot away, Mike grabbed my wrist and pulled me around. He pulled me in tight and kissed me fiercely. It was slobbery; completely disgusting.

I tried to pull away, but he held me tightly. He ran his tongue along my bottom lip, making me want to puke. I forbade him entrance, and pushed him away with all my might. I ran to where Alice and Jessica were waiting, and slammed the dressing room door shut.

"What happened Bella?" Jessica asked worried.

"Mike Newton kissed me! It was the most disgusting thing ever!" I shouted over the top. I heard them both gasp, then fall into a fit of laughter. Meanwhile, I wiped off Mike's remaining saliva from my lips and held back the urge to go and smack him silly.

I slipped off the Mike-attracting dress and put it on the growing "definitely no" pile. I slipped on dress number four. It was full-length with spaghetti straps. The cut was low, but not terribly showy. It had thick bright pink band wrap around my my up torso. It puffed out slightly and at the bottom was a design of huge pink flowers. The background was white. It was sweet, and I hoped that Alice and Tigger approved.

I stepped out of the change room and found Alice and Jessica on the floor clutching their stomachs and laughing. I kicked Jessica lightly and Alice hard, knowing that she wouldn't be affected. They wiped away tears and stood up. They both took one look at the dress and shook their heads in disapproval.

I groaned. "Why not?" I whined.

"It's not _your_ prom-style Bella. Heck, don't get me wrong, it's really cute, but it wasn't made for _you_. Understand?" Alice explained.

"Yeah, I mean, come on. It's not _your_ perfect dress. I just don't see Mike falling for you in that one," Tigger said, giggling. Alice began to giggle too. I glared at them, and returned to the dressing room.

I slipped on dress number five. It was beautiful. It was a full-length, strapless, blue gown. The cut was perfect, very modest, but still cute and perfect for prom. The top had beading that went from wide to thin down to about my belly-button. The dark blue fabric was wrinkled and shined just right in the light. The bottom didn't flow straight down, but puffed out just a little bit. Some of the fabric gathered to my left hip, giving me a nice, elegant shape.

Smiling brightly, I stepped out of the dressing room. The first thing that I heard were stunned gasps. I twirled around, letting them see the back too.

"Well?" I asked expectantly.

"Perfect!" They both screeched at once. I smiled again. I looked down at the price tag, and my smile vanished.

"What's wrong?" Is it ripped?" Jessica asked, horrified.

"No, it's the price. This dress costs $260," I told them glumly. Alice shrugged and pulled out her wallet.

"I've got enough to cover a third. You Tigger?" Jessica pulled out her wallet and nodded.

"Two thirds covered. Is that enough Bella? Can you pay for the rest?" Jessica asked me.

Knowing that I'd never win at refusing against the dangerous duo, I nodded. I had saved up one hundred dollars for my prom dress, and $260 dollars split three ways was about $87 each, and I would pay for tax.

We left the dress shop with satisfied grins on our faces. We had each found a dress, Alice's being the most expensive. And besides the burning hole in my wallet where there had once been one hundred dollars, I was content.

We walked around Port Angeles, looking for lunch. Tigger and I were starved. We hadn't gotten the chance to eat breakfast before Alice had rushed us out the door. Alice wasn't pleased to have to pause in her shopping spree to accompany us to lunch. We grabbed a cheeseburger from McDonald's and ate while we walked around town with Alice, who was window shopping.

Alice and Tigger spent the rest of their shopping money on shoes and accessories. I was fine with wearing an old pair of blue flats to prom. That way, I could actually dance with Edward and not have to worry about breaking my leg... or both.

We were walking back towards Alice's car, when some one surprised us. We were strolling across the street (not j-walking I might add), when suddenly, a car came speeding around the corner. Alice was the first to notice. I heard her mutter "Tanya". She grabbed me by the arm, and sprinted at human speed towards the sidewalk. She tried to grab Jessica also, but she missed. By then it was too late.

The car smashed against Jessica's body, sending her flying over the top of the car, and into the air. I wrenched out of Alice's hold and ran to Jessica before she could hit the ground. I knew that if she did, she would be gone forever, instantly.

I reached her just before she hit the concrete road. I threw myself under the spot where she was going to land. A split second later, her body fell on top of me with full force. It hurt like hell, but my only concern was for Jessica.

Just before I blacked out, I glimpsed Alice's blurred form racing after the car at vampire speed.

I woke up with a groan. My back and head ached terribly. My throat felt like the Sahara desert during the dry season. My stomach was collapsing in on itself.

My eyes fluttered open, letting bright light stream in. A steady beeping filtered in through my ears. I felt cool tubes lying against my skin. I was in a hospital.... again.

"Not again!" I groaned. I tried to sit up, but a force pushed me back down onto the thin mattress. I looked to my left and saw Edward sitting on a chair. He held my hand and was drawing circles on it with his cool thumb.

"Stay down. They want you to rest your back, until it feels better. You're lucky you didn't break your back, love," he told me calmly. I blushed at how much of a fool I must look like to him. He smiled sweetly, dazzling me, but I forced myself to think logically.

"Where's Jessica? Is she hurt? Is she dead?" I asked worriedly.

"Shh, love. Don't worry. She's fine. If it hadn't been for your heroic act, she would be dead. She's lucky too. She only broke her arm and a few ribs," he explained.

That reassured me, but I was still curious as to what had happened. "I head Alice say 'Tanya' just before the car hit Jess. Is that true? Did she try to kill me?"

"Yes. She acted out suddenly, so that Alice wouldn't see her coming. She saw her chance when a woman forgot to lock her car door. She stole it, and, by chance, found you in Port Angeles. She tried to run you over, but Alice was too quick. Instead, Jessica felt her revenge. Alice ran off after her. She caught her, and didn't hesitate to kill her. Meanwhile, a witness saw what had happened, and called an ambulance," he finished.

I was amazed at the whole thing. A perfectly wonderful girls outing had turned into a blood bath within seconds.

"So, it's all over then? Tanya's dead?" I asked. Edward nodded. "Does that mean that you won't turn me into a vampire?"

"Bella, there's danger everywhere, and you're the magnet that attracts it. If I don't, I'm afraid that I'll lose you forever," he told me, stroking my cheek. I smiled up at him. He bent down and kissed my forehead. "But speaking of your future transformation, I have to tell you what you have to leave behind." I nodded. "You'll have to leave Forks behind. You'll be 'dead'. We can _never_ return here. We'll have violated the treaty between us and the werewolves."

"Does that mean that I'll never see Tigger again?"

"Yes. Jacob Black will never leave her side, they're linked through something beyond magic. They're mates," he explained. My eyes dropped from his face. I felt tears forming in my eyes. "I'm sorry love."

"I still want to spend eternity with you Edward. I'll figure out a way to see Jessica." Edward didn't look hopeful, but I knew that we could find a way. Every contract, every treaty, has at least one loophole.

I returned home two days later, along with some pains meds, and Tigger's arm linked through mine. Her arm was going to take some time to heal, and her side where the were broken hurt frequently, but she was just happy to be alive. She had thanked me countless times for throwing myself to save her life. But I always felt like I was the one who had put her life at risk.

Even though I knew that I would lose everything except for Edward when I was changed, I knew that it had to be done. Everyone was at constant danger if I stayed human. It was the only way to keep everyone safe.

For the next two weeks, Jacob came over frequently, tending to Jessica. He also ate us out of house and home. Jessica and Jacob's relationship grew incredibly over those two weeks. I got to witness just how close their bond really was. Sometimes I would walk in on them just staring at each other lovingly. Jacob held her protectively, as though she was the most precious thing in the entire world, and he would die for her happiness. Jessica couldn't stand to be away from him for even one day. If he wasn't there, she was constantly texting him. Whenever the phone rang, she was the first to pick it up, even if it wasn't him. Once, she had called my Uncle Jacob "sweetie-pie".

Jake would stroll in the front door, not even acknowledge me, and kiss Jessica passionately. He would whisper sweet nothings in her ear, and she would giggle uncontrollably.

It was extremely sweet, but also extremely annoying after the first few days.

Two weeks after our unfortunate collision with Tanya's driving skills, it was prom.

Alice and Jessica had to tackle me into a chair. I had to go through the entire afternoon in the torture chair. But it brought forth stunning results. My chocolate brown hair fell down my back in gentle curls, and small blue flower hair clips brought together small sections of it in the back. My eye makeup made my muddy-brown eyes pop. My lipstick made my pink lips plump and glossy. No blush was needed, of course.

When I slipped into my dress, it all came together beautifully.

Jessica and Alice looked stunning.

Jessica's dress was a strapless, full-length, turquoise gown. The torso was covered with elegant beading. The bottom puffed out nicely, accenting her small waist. The skirt was slightly ruffled and had lines of blue beading falling down it. The fabric gathered to her left hip and gave the effect of a silky rose. Her makeup suited her perfectly and her dark brown hair was elaborately curled and placed high at the back of her head by deep purple flower hair clips. The rest of her hair fell down her back. Her bangs were split in the middle and hanged beside her eyes.

Alice's dress was a strapless, medium length black dress. A thin, satiny ribbon tied around her tiny waist in the front, and draped down to the bottom of the dress. The bottom of the dress ended in multiple layers. The hem was the same bright pink satiny ribbon that tied around her waist. It was elegant but the bottom of the dress added an edginess to it. It was perfect for Alice. Her makeup made her look like a sweet little pixie with a secret dark side and her midnight black hair stuck out everywhere, as usual, but she added gel to it and flipped out the ends slightly.

We had arranged to meet the boys in the parking lot. When we arrived, they were waiting for us dutifully, all holding corsages in their hands. I stepped out of the car and made my way over to Edward, whose face glowed beautifully in the last light of the day. I smiled hugely. He opened his arms and I took my place in them. He wrapped his marble arms around me, and I shivered pleasantly from his cool touch. It never got old.

He pulled away from our intimate embrace and presented me with a white lily corsage. He placed it on my wrist. Leaning down, he kissed me softly, making me melt into his arms. I smiled against his cold lips. I truly did love him. I always would.

I looked over to where Alice and Jasper were. Jasper clipped the soft pink corsage onto the top of her dress. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, making her smile brilliantly. They stared at each other for a minute before they headed into the gym.

I glanced over at Jessica. She was just stepping out of the car after searching for her earrings. When she saw Jacob she squealed and ran as fast as she could in her high heels to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he held her securely around the waist. He kissed her passionately. He took the light blue corsage that he was holding and placed it around her wrist. Jessica's eyes never left his face. They sparkled with pure, genuine love. They too, headed inside the school gym.

I looked back up at Edward. His eyes were watching my face. I blushed. He responded by kissing my forehead. I smiled up at him.

"I have something for you," he whispered in my ear. I shivered from his cool breath. He pulled out a small black box from his tux pocket. He held it up to my eye level and opened it. I gasped. Inside was a simple diamond heart necklace. The heart was small, but so delicately sculpted that it must have been worth a fortune. Edward took out of the box and made me turn around. I lifted up my hair and he clasped the fortune around my neck. It shone like Edward's skin did in the bright sunlight. I turned around to face him.

"Thank-you," I said. He kissed the back of my hand in response. We then made our way into the gym.

The music filled my ears. We pushed our way through the mass of dancing people until we eventually found where the Cullen's were seated. They were all so beautiful, I couldn't believe that I would be one of them some day. The boys all wore tuxes, and Rosalie wore a bright red full-length dress that tied in the back. The cut was very low and showed a little more than I thought should be showed, but she carried it professionally. Some of the fabric gathered where one single long diamond jewel was placed at the end of the cut. It flowed down her body elegantly like a waterfall. Her golden blond hair lay in gentle curls free of any restraints.

We all talked for a few minutes, but then Alice and Tigger dragged me onto the dance floor. We dance for a while, then they told me it was time. I nodded and headed to where I was supposed to be.

Alice ran up onto the stage and whispered something to the DJ. While she was talking with him, I peered over the mass of people, and spotted Angela and Ben. They were huddled in a corner, whispering and smiling at each other. I was so happy to see them together and in love. I hoped that had an easier time than Edward and I. As far as I could tell, no death threats there.

I smiled in their direction as Alice demanded me to come up on stage. I hesitated, which made Alice only take me by the arm and yank me up on stage. She handed me the guitar and told me to get ready. I quickly checked to make sure that it was in tune, then I plugged it into the amp that placed beside me. I looked behind me. Alice was seated at the drums, jumping up and down in her seat, ready to play, and Tigger was positioned at the keyboards. She gave me a thumbs up. I signaled to the DJ to turn off the music. The sudden silence forced everyone's gaze up to where we were. I blushed furiously.

I leaned into the microphone and spoke, trying to not the stutter, "Uh, hi everyone. Sorry for the interference, but my friends and I would like play a song for you all. It's called 'The Only Exception' by Paramore. It's dedicated to my loving boyfriend, Edward Cullen." At that, I heard Emmett whoop, making most of the junior and senior boys follow. I blushed once again.

I place my fingers on the first chord and started playing. I scanned the crowd and picked out Edward. I focused all of my attention on him. Then, I began to sing.

When I was younger  
I saw my daddy cry  
And curse at the wind  
He broke his own heart  
And I watched  
As he tried to reassemble it

And my momma swore that  
She would never let herself forget  
And that was the day that I promised  
I'd never sing of love  
If it does not exist

But darling,  
You, are, the only exception  
You, are, the only exception  
You, are, the only exception  
You, are, the only exception

Maybe I know, somewhere  
Deep in my soul  
That love never lasts  
And we've got to find other ways  
To make it alone  
Keep a straight face

And I've always lived like this  
Keeping a comfortable, distance  
And up until now  
I had sworn to myself that I'm  
Content with loneliness

Because none of it was ever worth the risk

Well, You, are, the only exception  
You, are, the only exception  
You, are, the only exception  
You, are, the only exception

I've got a tight grip on reality  
But I can't  
Let go of what's in front of me here  
I know you're leaving  
In the morning, when you wake up  
Leave me with some kind of proof it's not a dream

Ohh---

You, are, the only exception  
You, are, the only exception  
You, are, the only exception  
You, are, the only exception  
You, are, the only exception  
You, are, the only exception  
You, are, the only exception  
You, are, the only exception

And I'm on my way to believing  
Oh, And I'm on my way to believing

When the song ended, the crowd replied with applause. I blushed at the attention, but kept my eyes focused on Edward. He smiled lovingly, and I returned it. I set the guitar down and told the DJ to turn up the music again.

I stepped off the stage and hurried over to Edward. He took my face in his hands and kissed me deeply.

"So, did you like it?" I asked expectantly. He laughed.

"Liked it? I loved it! You have a beautiful singing voice, love," He told me, grinning.

"Those words are true. You _are _the only exception," I told him. He smiled. We walked over to our table and talked with everyone. Emmett smacked me on the back, Jasper gave me two thumbs up, and Rosalie simply nodded her approval.

We talked for a few more minutes, but then Edward dragged me onto the dance floor. I begged him no, but he insisted. He approached the DJ and whispered something to him. He nodded, then Edward jogged back to where I was.

The next song started to play. It was 'Life After You' by Daughtry. I loved that song. It was so sweet. I looked at Edward curiously. He smiled sweetly. He took me by the waist and I wrapped my arms around his neck. When the lead singer began to sing, Edward leaned down and sang along with his velvety voice.

Ten miles from town and I just broke down  
Spittin' out smoke on the side of the road  
I'm out here alone just tryin' to get home  
To tell you I was wrong but you already know

Believe me I won't stop at nothin'  
To see you so I've started runnin'

All that I'm after is a life full of laughter  
As long as I'm laughin' with you  
I'm thinkin' that all that still matters is love ever after  
After the life we've been through  
'Cause I know there's no life after you

Last time we talked, the night that I walked  
Burns like an iron in the back of my mind  
I must've been high to say you and I  
Weren't meant to be and just wastin' my time

Oh, why did I ever doubt you?  
You know I would die here without you

All that I'm after is a life full of laughter  
As long as I'm laughin' with you  
I'm thinkin' that all that still matters is love ever after  
After the life we've been through  
'Cause I know there's no life after you

You and I, right or wrong, there's no other one  
After this time I spent alone  
It's hard to believe that a man with sight could be so blind  
Thinkin' 'bout the better times, must've been outta my mind  
So I'm runnin' back to tell you

All that I'm after is a life full of laughter  
Without you God knows what I'd do, yeah

All that I'm after is a life full of laughter  
As long as I'm laughin' with you  
I'm thinkin' 'bout all that still matters is love ever after  
After the life we've been through, yeah  
Know there's no life after you

Know there's no life after you  
Know there's no life after you  
Know there's no life after you  
Know there's no life after you  
Know there's no life after you  
Know there's no life after you  
Know there's no life after you, yeah

When the song ended, Edward leaned down and kissed me sweetly on the lips. "I mean it too," he told me. "If you ever left me, or died, I wouldn't be able to live on. You are my only reason to live, Bella," he whispered. I smiled.

He took me by the hand and led me down the hallway to the biology classroom. I looked up at him quizzically.

"What are we doing here, Edward?"

"Dancing where many of our recent memories were made," he said smiling his lop-sided grin. I laughed lightly. He placed his cool hands around my waist and I snaked my hands around the back of his neck once again. He began to hum a beautiful tune.

"What are you humming? It's beautiful," I commented. He smiled.

"I call it Bella's Lullaby," he said. I blushed, and he smiled once again before kissing my forehead. He began to hum the tune again as we swayed in a tight circle in the biology classroom. I placed my cheek against his chest and closed my eyes, enjoying the soft vibrations coming from his chest.

My life had played out much more differently than I had thought it would. But it worked perfectly for me. The next year was a going to be filled with many memories. I just knew it.

And then... we had forever.

**A/N: THE END!!!**

**I know, it's sad. I'm sad. Vote in my poll, if you want me to do a sequel! Remember to REVIEW!!! And I'll be doing a one-shot of Jess and Jake.  
**


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